Call to Action

Loving Language

by Rae Pica

With the start of another school year upon us, emergent literacy will once again be the primary focus for your preschooler. Below are three fun activities that offer experience with enunciation, rhythm, and rhyme, and foster a love of language!

"This Old Man." This familiar song uses nonsense words (which young children love). Until your child can sing it herself, sing it to her, inviting her to clap (or tap, if she has rhythm sticks) to its rhythm. When she hears the number in each verse, she holds up that many fingers (making this a math experience as well). On the last line of each verse, she can roll her hands or rhythm sticks. Here are the words:

This old man, he played one;
He played knick-knack on his thumb.
With a knick-knack, paddy-whack
Give the dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

Additional verses are:

This old man, he played two…he played knick-knack on his shoe…
…three…knee…
…four…door…
…five…hive…
…six…sticks…
…seven…pen…
…eight…gate…
…nine…rise and shine…
…ten…hen…

If your child is so inspired, he might choose to move his whole body to the song’s rhythm.

"Little Miss Muffet." This traditional nursery rhyme is fun to say aloud and to act out. Talk to your child about such unfamiliar and old-fashioned words as tuffet, curds, and whey. (A tuffet is a low seat, like a stool. Curds and whey are the parts of milk used to make cheese, such as cottage cheese.) Then simply read one line at a time, inviting your child simultaneously to repeat it and act it out.