World Nursery Rhyme Week is a global initiative to encourage families to sing and rhyme with their children. Singing and rhyming go together while increasing a child’s ability to hear different sounds within words. All words are made up of different letters and sounds. We have 26 letters, but there are 44 different sounds (or phonemes). Singing helps prepare children to decode or sound out written words. Singing also stimulates a child’s creativity, reinforces rhyming and letter sounds and helps strengthen word knowledge. For more favorite rhymes, check out the 10 books listed below. The five rhymes chosen for 2023 are as follows:

Jack & Jill (Recorded in 1765) Jack and Jill went up the hill To fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after. Then up got Jack and said to Jill, As in his arms he took her, “Brush off that dirt for you’re not hurt, Let’s fetch that pail of water.” So Jack and Jill went up the hill To fetch the pail of water, And took it home to Mother dear, Who thanked her son and daughter.

Hickory Dickory Dock (Published in 1744) Hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, The mouse ran down, Hickory dickory dock. Hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck two, The mouse ran down, Hickory dickory dock. (Continued for “three” and “four”)

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes (Documented in 1912) Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes And eyes and ears and mouth and nose Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

Row Row Row Your Boat (Published in 1852) Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream. (One example of additional verses) Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream. If you see a crocodile, Don’t forget to scream.

Wheels On The Bus (Published in 1937) The wheels on the bus go round and round Round and round Round and round The wheels on the bus go round and round All through the town The wipers on the bus go, “Swish, swish, swish” “Swish, swish, swish” “Swish, swish, swish” The wipers on the bus go, “Swish, swish, swish” All through the town Continued with: The driver on the bus says, “Move on back” The people on the bus go up and down. The horn on the bus goes “beep, beep, beep” The baby on the bus goes, “wah, wah, wah.” The mommies on the bus go “shh, shh, shh”.

For more details on World Nursery Rhyme week, follow this link!

For more digital nursery rhyme ebooks and music, check out hoopla and use the keyword searches: “Mother Goose” or “Nursery Rhyme” for many great options!

For more information on early literacy and to receive free early literacy materials for your child, contact our Ready to Read team at 419-259.5253 or ReadytoRead@toledolibrary.org

My Very First Mother Goose

Appley Dapply’s Nursery Rhymes

hoopla eBook  |  hoopla eAudiobook

Mother Goose Goes to India

My Mother Goose: A Collection of Favorite Rhymes, Songs, and Concepts

hoopla

The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose

eBook

The Neighborhood Mother Goose

Honey For You, Honey For Me: A First Book of Nursery Rhymes

Mother Goose: Numbers on the Loose

A Child’s Treasury of Nursery Rhymes

Three Little Kittens and Other Favorite Nursery Rhymes