Canny Minds Blog

Humpty could be heading for his final fall

Posted on 08. Oct, 2009 by Jenny in Articles, Children

The study by Booktrust, a charity that promotes reading, found that parents were shunning old favourites such as Humpty Dumpty and Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, with only 36 per cent regularly reading rhymes to their children.

More than 20 per cent of young parents claimed not to use them because they were not educational, even though experts said nursery rhymes played a vital role in a child’s development.

Professor Roger Beard, the head of primary education at the Institute of Education said they helped children learn about the rhythms of language.

“For instance Twinkle Twinkle Little Star has an enduring simplicity, which also allowing children and grown-ups to share in their wonderment about the night-time sky”, he said.

By Murray Wardrop, The Daily Telegraph

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Tags: 0-5, children learning, Learn Something New, Literature, male and female, nursery rhyme