Nursery rhymes originally must have been associated with poems and satires. It is not a very concrete detail as we research backwards on the origin of rhymes, but a sure fact is that it did transcend boundaries and was bestowed to us from generations. Indian nursery rhymes are simple pieces of work primarily worked on normal life routines and birds and animal story. This is the simplest way to soothe a cranky child, sing lullabies to get the child to sleep and also gentle coaxing to sampling food.
As times are witnessing change, the trend in nursery rhymes are also seeing changes. Nursery and kinder garten classes had a regular with ‘Jack and Jill’ and ‘Chubby Cheeks’. This is now replaced by ‘Rolly Polly Rolly Polly Up and Down’ rhymes with vigorous hand movements. The focus is also to develop motor skills through hand and facial gestures. ‘Two twin aeroplanes’ is proof enough to feel how the rhymes are modernizing.
Fruits are taught by Fruit Salad poem which goes, Watermelon, Watermelon, Papaya, Chickoo, Chickoo Chickoo ….Fruit salad. Bring me a letter postman, tomorrow at the garden gate, I will wait for you. This postman poem installs the value of the community helper. ‘The child and the star’ poem is a latest addition along with the not so old ones like ‘My Jack in the box’ and ‘Donkey Donkey, old and grey’.
‘Horsie Horsie don’t you stop, just let your feet go clippety clop, The tail goes swish and the wheels go round, Giddyup you are homeward bound’, is an excellent poem for nursery kids. Counting rhymes include ‘Rabbits, rabbits one two three, will you come and play with me’, ‘Six little ducks’ is another counting rhyme. ‘Five little monkeys jumping on the bed’ is a delight for all ages. The five monkeys taper to four, three, two, one and finally none. ‘Five little speckled frogs, sitting on a hollow log’ has a similar counting concept.
Fruit themes include ‘Wash us clean, chop us lean, fruity fruits, wishy washy, choppity chop’. Vegetable song is ‘Come and hear, follow me, sing a vegetable song with me, Eat the carrots, eat the beans, eat the turnip, eat the corn, eat the cabbage and French beans’.
Astronomical ancient poem like ‘Twinkle Twinkle little star’ is replaced with ‘Up in the dark sky what do I see, Big stars and small stars twinkling at me’. ‘The sun shines on us by day and the moon shines bright’ is another poem that extols the facts of day and night.
Some feature cleanliness and other are more of the song dance type. ‘All by myself’ is an independence theme wherein the child initiates independence in doing his hair, put his socks, brush his teeth, comb his hair and eat his snacks too. ‘After a bath’ is another theme which asserts the little things that children love to do without help. These are introduction rhymes at the start of nursery and play school which help build self confidence which helps the bonding with their teacher and other play mates.
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