Nursery Rhyme Lyrics are a Great Way to Learn

If you teach preschool, kindergarten, first, or even second grade, you know how easy it is for children to memorize rhymes. You probably already use a lot of songs and rhymes to help your children remember new information. Nursery Rhyme lyrics have been a part of education for centuries. In this post, I want to highlight six specific rhymes and science lessons that we have used as a basis for some creative teaching resources.

1. Nursery Rhyme Lyrics to Jack and Jill Teach Children About Water

In the traditional lyrics of this rhyme, Jack and Jill go up a hill to fetch a pail of water. In our version, Jack and Jill hike up a huge hill that is more like a mountain. They go high enough that they are not filling their pails with water, but with snow and ice. The background setting for this book is Zermatt, Switzerland. I took photos of the Matterhorn mountain during a vacation there in July of 2019. There are several more photos and videos of this spectacular place online as well. We actually visited Gornergrat and rode on the Cog Railway. Views of the Matterhorn were breathtaking and we were able to see the glaciers and ice at the top while feeling the summer heat at the bottom.

The fun and new lyrics in this version of Jack and Jill teach children about the three stages of water. They fetch ice, but when they return back down the mountain, they discover the ice has melted to water. Discovering that it is the temperature that changes the state of the water, they apply more heat, boil the liquid and make steam.

2. The New Nursery Rhyme Lyrics in Mary Had a Little Lamb will Teach Children About Animals

This classic nursery rhyme is said to be based on true events. In the traditional rhyme, the lamb’s wool is referred to as fleece. Helping a child to learn about fleece and wool is a great start to children learning about different animal coverings. In our version, Mary has one lamb. Then she has two snakes, and finally three birds. The book purposely follows a sequential order of 1, 2, and 3, so that children will be inspired to continue the pattern with additional numbers and other animals. The three types of animals chosen (a lamb, snakes, and birds) were selected to illustrate fur, scales, and feathers. In science, children discover that God created animals with different coverings for the purpose of adapting each species to different habitats. This book pictures different landscapes to help children identify not just an animal’s body covering, but its habitat as well.

3. Humpty Dumpty Lyrics Teach Children About Positional Words

In the traditional lyrics of Humpty Dumpty, an egg is sitting and falling off a wall. In our version, the egg is a baby eagle and is sitting on a very high ledge where an eagle nest is located. The eggs are baby eagles or eaglets. The new text teaches children positional words that are also opposites. Children need to understand and use these words in Science so they are able to describe the relationships that objects have to one another and the perspective of their observations. In the story, Humpty decides to go out of the nest and hang his feet over the edge, The other eggs want Humpty to get back in the nest. But, Humpty breaks out of his shell, and flies above, under, and around. Not only does Humpty learn positional words, but he also motivates children to try their best.

4. The Lyrics to Little Miss Muffet Teach Children About Spiders

The traditional lyrics of Little Miss Muffet have a very interesting theory about who Miss Muffet’s father was. Our book lyrics teach children the difference between a spider and an insect. They learn about the specific number of body parts for each. They also learn the number of legs and eyes for spiders and insects. The idea that Miss Muffet observes and studies are also important scientific skills that children can learn. These illustrations have Miss Muffet using books and a magnifying glass to gain new information about her bug friends.

5. Jack Be Nimble Teaches Children About Shadows

Instead of jumping over a candlestick, Jack is trying to jump over his shadow. Before Jack can understand if he is able to jump over his shadow, he first must learn the science of where shadows come from. The lyrics within this rhyme teach students what makes a shadow and that it must move with its source. A great activity after reading this book is to take the children outside and see if they can jump their shadows. Another fun activity is to shine a light behind the students on a wall, play some upbeat music, and invite each student to dance with their own shadow.

6. Jack Sprat Nursery Rhyme Lyrics teach Children About Good Nutrition

In the lyrics to this nursery rhyme, Jack Sprat ate no fat and his wife would not eat lean. Our lyrics take this rhyme further to introduce Jack, his wife, and your students to the different food groups. In this text, children learn about the food pyramid and exactly what a healthy diet should include. Mrs. Sprat prepares a well-balanced meal for Jack that includes meat, milk, cheese, fruit, vegetables, and bread. Because Mrs. Sprat will not eat the meat, Jack explains that she is missing important protein, and offers her nuts and beans as a substitute. The new lyrics help children learn and understand the science behind a healthy and nutritious diet.

Check out these other amazing blogs for you and your preschoolers:

• Faithfully Teaching at Home, Everything You Need to Know About Thematic Learning
• Time for Toddlers, 3 simple and inexpensive ways to make cutting practice fun!
• Prekay Essentials, 5 Epic Ways to Make the First Day of School for Teachers from Zero to Hero

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