Rhymes train the ear for reading: the beat, the rhyming words, the patterns of speech. Say them in your own voice, no tune needed. Start with one short verse and let your child join in with actions, a word or just listening.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.
Actions: Open and close your fingers softly for twinkle. Lift your hands comfortably for high and draw a small shape in the air for diamond. Your child may simply watch.
What to say: “Star and are sound alike at the end. Shall we say them again?” Explain that diamond is a comparison with something sparkling; do not use the rhyme as a scientific description of a star's shape. Looking at a drawn night sky is enough.
What it builds: Listening, repeating a short verse, noticing the rhyming pairs star/are and high/sky.
Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool? Yes, sir, yes, sir, three bags full: One for my master, one for my dame, And one for the little boy that lives in our lane. Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool? Yes, sir, yes, sir, three bags full.
Actions: Say baa together. Show three fingers, or point to three large bag shapes an adult draws on one sheet. Point once to each bag while saying one for each person. Use no loose wool or counters.
What to say: “How many bags are there?” Briefly explain that master and dame are old words for adults in this rhyme, and a lane is a small road. The printed “my” and “our lane” are intentional historical variants.
What it builds: Animal vocabulary, counting three and joining a repeated question/answer.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses, And all the king's men, Couldn't set Humpty Dumpty up again.
Actions: Hold one closed hand above the other like a character on a wall. Lower it gently onto your lap for fall. Open your hands at the last line. Do not lift, drop or tip the child.
What to say: “What happened first? What happened next?” Keep it a pretend story. If the fall worries your child, choose another rhyme; there is no need to add injury details or a new happy-ending verse.
What it builds: Remembering a short event sequence, hearing wall/fall and talking about how a character might feel.
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man, Bake me a cake as fast as you can; Prick it and pat it, and mark it with G; And put it in the oven for Teddy and me.
Actions: Pat your own palms gently together. Point one finger at your open palm for prick, then draw a pretend G in the air. Hold out your hands as if presenting a cake. Keep every action pretend; no dough, tools, heat or oven access.
What to say: “Can we pat slowly together?” Explain prick as making little marks in the pretend cake. The words “as fast as you can” belong to the verse; the activity itself is unhurried.
What it builds: Matching an action to words and joining a steady beat.
Nursery; Playgroup can listen and join the first pair of numbers
One, two, buckle my shoe; Three, four, shut the door; Five, six, pick up sticks; Seven, eight, lay them straight; Nine, ten, a good fat hen.
Actions: Point towards your shoe while seated. Bring palms together for a pretend door. Mime collecting and lining up sticks with empty hands, then shape wings with your elbows if comfortable. No real sticks or moving doors are needed.
What to say: “Which numbers came after three?” Separately count two large spoons, touching each once, if your child wants to. Saying the rhyme's counting sequence does not by itself show that a child can count ten objects.
What it builds: Saying numbers in order, pairing words that rhyme and coordinating gentle gestures.
Rain, rain, Go away, Come again April day; Little Johnny Wants to play.
Actions: Wiggle fingers downwards for rain. Move a hand gently away, then bring it back for come again. Finish by opening your hands towards an imaginary play space.
What to say: “What could Johnny play indoors?” Explain that April is a month's name and this is the child's wish in an old rhyme. It does not predict which month is rainy where your family lives.
What it builds: Repeated words, a short spoken wish and weather vocabulary.
Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon; The little dog laughed to see such sport, And the dish ran after the spoon.
Actions: Pretend to play a fiddle with empty hands. Move a finger in an arc for the cow. Smile for the dog, then walk the fingers of one hand behind the other for the dish and spoon.
What to say: “Could a real cow jump over the moon, or is this a silly story?” Explain a fiddle as a musical instrument. Children do not need to jump or run to join in.
What it builds: Animal and object names, sound play, recalling an imaginative sequence and distinguishing a silly story from everyday events.
Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep, And cannot tell where to find them; Leave them alone, and they'll come home, And bring their tails behind them.
Actions: Hold a hand above your eyes as if looking. Point to a home drawn by the adult on a large sheet. Move two fingers slowly towards it as the sheep return.
What to say: “Who was Bo-Peep looking for?” Keep the search to drawn sheep. The verse is a make-believe story, not guidance about a missing child, pet or animal. Do not actually separate the child from an adult for the game.
What it builds: Retelling a simple situation and hearing sheep/peep and find them/behind them.
Little Betty Blue Lost her holiday shoe, What can little Betty do? Give her another To match the other, And then she may walk in two.
Actions: Point to two shoes while seated. Cover one with your hand, then uncover it when a matching shoe is mentioned. Alternatively, use two adult-drawn shoes on one large page. Keep laces and fastenings out of the activity.
What to say: “Which two shoes make a pair?” Ask how someone could help Betty. Explain holiday shoe as a shoe she wears for a special occasion, without requiring the family to own special shoes.
What it builds: Recognising a pair, counting two and suggesting a helpful action in a story.
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? Silver bells and cockle-shells, And pretty maids all in a row.
Actions: Open your hands like a growing garden. Draw imaginary bells and shells in the air, then move a finger along an imagined row. Use no real shells, small bells or garden plants.
What to say: “What would you put in a pretend garden?” Explain contrary as disagreeing, cockle-shells as shells and maids as an old word for young women. Do not label the child contrary. Keep the scene playful rather than treating the verse as an instruction for growing plants.
What it builds: Joining repeated words, listening for grow/row and describing an imagined picture.