Dr. Seuss lyrics can be heard on Dr. Seuss Radio. In short, it is a fun way for kids to listen to different Dr. Seuss books. On the other hand, if you are looking for a list of Dr. Seuss’s books, we suggest you look here. Meanwhile, this blog will discuss the ways Dr. Seuss’s lyrics easily teach children how to read.

Imagine That! How Dr. Seuss Wrote the Cat in the Hat

If you have not read Imagine That! How Dr. Seuss Wrote The Cat in the Hat. I suggest you do. Similarly, this story describes some of what is discussed in this blog.

The history before Dr. Seuss lyrics

Before The Cat and the Hat, when schools were first established, there were no books in the schools, and children were asked to bring the books they had at home. The most common book that children brought was the Bible. These schools had many levels and ages of children learning together. The teaching focused on individual letters and phonics.

Early 1900s

The first popular reading textbook was the McGuffey reader first printed in 1836. This series of primers for grades 1-6 were used in American schools from the mid 19th century to the early 20th century. In addition, there are homeschoolers still using these books today. The pages in these books are filled with words that students read in isolation of sentences and stories. When a child could read enough words he or she would be given a book like The Circus Book published in 1913. This was a common book during the 1930s.

1940s

During this time, educators realized that some children had difficulty with sounds. Consequently, the whole-word reading method was implemented. In addition, there was a greater emphasis on illustrations, and children were taught to look at the entire word and read by sight. This led to the creation of the Dick and Jane books. These books were introduced in the 1940s.

1950s

The Dick and Jane books were supposed to relate to a child’s experiences. However, the setting of these books was a suburban neighborhood where all the characters were white. Their father worked and their mother stayed home and took care of the house.

More importantly, the text-only allowed a limited number of words and therefore, never created a plot. Children were inadvertently taught that books and stories were boring. They had little motivation for reading.

Why we celebrate Read Across America during Dr. Seuss’ Birthday.

In the 1950’s something wonderful happened. Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, had been writing books for kids that were anything but boring. At that time, this book and others by Dr. Seuss were very popular. Therefore, two prominent textbook publishers asked Theodore Geisel to try and write an exciting book using only two hundred and twenty specific words. He did it and In 1957 The Cat and the Hat was published. This book changed everything. It provided three important aspects children need when learning to read.

1. Dr. Seuss lyrics tell an exciting story

We have spent a lot of time discussing the importance of the story. However, there still exists curricula and textbooks that demonstrate to children that the elements of a good story are not necessary within the cover of a book. Therefore, I caution you to not allow your children and students to only read simple readers that have no plot. Today the reading of books competes with endless movies and video games. Both of which are exciting to children. More than ever, we must help them to see how the world of reading can be exciting. Likewise, books will allow them to venture into a dangerous and astonishing journey.

2. Dr. Seuss lyrics rhyme and teach word families

Everyone knows that Dr. Seuss is masterful at making up rhymes. Words that rhyme are typically spelled the same at the end. Therefore, we say they are in a word family. Words like cat and hat teach students reading through both phonemic awareness (sound) and sight.

3. Dr. Seuss lyrics reach across all cultures

Children need to see themselves in the books they read. They need to be able to identify with the characters in the book. As our world changes, so does children’s literature.

1960s

During the civil rights movement in the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson worked to improve educational opportunities for underprivileged students. After that, book publishers knew their books needed to reflect a more diverse population of students. Even The Dick and Jane series gained their first African-American character.

Today with Dr. Seuss lyrics

The Dr. Seuss books have been a leader in the efforts. Just recently, three books were taken out of print because they were not a good representation of all people. His first book, “And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street” is one. You can read about it here. Publishers continue to seek books that represent all cultures.

As a teacher, I lived through many of the changes in reading methods and books. That is one reason, I worked to create the Mother Goose Meets Mother Nature Series. Consequently, these downloadable books contain easy to memorize texts that help children see and say new words. In these books, new nursery rhyme lyrics teach important science and math skills. You can read more about them here. We are also developing teacher guides for each book and a yearly curriculum that implements spiritual, social, and academic growth into each book.

Mother Goose Meets Mother Nature Curriculum Schedule

• September: (Routines and Schedules) “Hickory, the Mouse Learns About Time” and “Teach About Time with Hickory, the Mouse”.

• October: (Pumpkins) “Peter-Peter Learns About Decay and Growth” and “Teach About Decay and Growth with Peter-Peter”.

• November: (Healthy eating habits) “Jack Sprat Learns About Food” and “Teach About Food with Jack Sprat”.

• December/January: (Snow and ice, States of Matter) “Jack and Jill Learn About Water” and “Teach About Water with Jack and Jill”.

• February: (Shadows) “Jack B. Nimble Learns About Shadows“ and “Teach About Shadows with Jack B. Nimble”.

• March: (Animals and Habitats) “Mary Learns About Animal Coverings” and “Teach About Animal Coverings with Mary”.

• April: (Insects and Spiders) “Little Miss Muffet Learns About Spiders” and “Teach About Spiders with Little Miss Muffet”.

• May: (Life Cycles and Positional Words) “Humpty Dumpty Learns About Positions” and “Teach About Positions with Humpty Dumpty”.

And a fourth quality that books should have

Personally, I think that books should also contain a fourth quality. In addition, I believe that books should point children to their creator and help them to know Him personally. The books: The LIttle Pot, The Tea Pot, and The Oil Lamp do just that. They also help develop children into fruit-bearing vessels. Therefore, if you sign up below, I’ll send you a 7-step workbook that teaches you how to grow the fruit of the Spirit.