Songs, stories and rhyme time
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Using songs, rhymes and picture books is a great way to help your child develop their language and communication skills. It’s never too early or too late to start signing and rhyming with your child.
Rhymes help children learn how to play with words. They help children to hear all the sounds in words. By hearing different sounds children learn how they combine and blend together to form words.
Songs and rhymes have a hugely positive impact on a child’s language and literacy development. Children love rhyme, rhythm and repetition. These three things found in songs and rhymes can naturally help to boost a child’s language and literacy skills.
That is why we ensure that everyday we have dedicated time to sing songs and rhymes and share stories.
Each week we have a focus song/rhyme that we learn.
Please see the list of rhymes we enjoy learning and singing below.
At Little Caterpillars we strive to share high quality texts with the children to encourage a love of reading and build children’s language and vocabulary as a foundation for reading and writing.
We therefore have identified a selection of books that we will share with the children over the year. Please see our Nursery Reading Diet below.
Reading with your child at home
Make books a part of your child's bedtime routine:
Set aside 10 to 20 minutes with the TV off for sharing books as part of your regular bedtime routine. .
Your 2-year-old child can…
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Choose a book to share.
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Enjoy sharing the same book over and over and over again.
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Repeat some of the words and phrases you say or read.
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Ask you questions, such as: "What's that?"
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Enjoy a trip to your local public library for story time or to borrow some books.
What parents can do:
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Find a quiet, comfortable place for book sharing.
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Use book-sharing as a way to calm and comfort your child.
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Start a conversation by repeating an important word your child has just said, You can say: "Balloon. Lots of balloons. The girl has lots of balloons." Then wait for your child to say something more.
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Count pictures and wait for your child to repeat the numbers after you.
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Respond with enthusiasm to your child's questions and comments.
Your 3-4 -year-old can…
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Name the books they want to share with you.
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Pretend to read a favorite book aloud to you.
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Tell you how a story is like things they have seen or done.
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Ask you questions about books you are enjoying together.
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"Correct" you if you skip a word or page in a favorite book.
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Tell you the story in a favorite book in their own words.
What parents can do:
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Find a quiet, comfortable place for book sharing.
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Ask your child to tell you about the pictures and the story.
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Respond with enthusiasm to your child's questions and comments.
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Ask your child to show you all the things in a picture that are alike in some way. You can say: "Can you find all the blue things?" or "Show me all the things that can fly."
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Point out colors, shapes, numbers in their books.
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Take your child to the local public library to borrow books or to enjoy story time.