The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) encourages adults to provide children with a literacy-rich environment in which they engage children in language games such as songs, fingerplays, poems and stories in which “phonemic patterns such as rhymes and alliteration are salient.”  The nursery rhymes and activities found in my book Teaching with Heart… are ideal for this purpose.

Infants: Adults need to read to babies every day.  Language activities can be strengthened using rhymes and fingerplays.  Singing Hot Cross Buns from my book will help give infants the rhyme and repetition with language that is important for literacy development.  These kinds of activities are particularly important at routine times of the day such as diaper changing so that adults can develop a warm, loving relationship while stimulating the foundations of literacy.

Toddlers: When toddlers add a physical element to a rhyme like Hot Cross Buns they can learn it quickly and it helps them to understand the language process.  Have toddlers act out the making of buns.  One child can be the baker and another can be the bun.  First the baker mixes the ingredients for the buns while the other child squirms on the floor.  The baker then rolls the dough out and the other child lies like a log on the floor and rolls back and forth.  Then the baker makes a bun and the child on the floor hugs his knees.  The baker pretends to put the bun in the oven and when it’s done the bun pops up, and they changes places.  The baker now becomes the bun and the bun now becomes the new baker.  Toddlers learn how to share power and independence when they change places.

Preschoolers:  A fun experience for preschoolers is to make their own Hot Cross Buns using a “Bread in a Bag” recipe.  In a gallon size zip lock bag add the following:

1½ C. all-purpose flour, 1 package yeast, 3T. sugar, 3T. nonfat dry milk, and 1t. salt.

Close top and have children shake it well to blend ingredients.  Put 1 beaten egg in a measuring cup and fill with hot water (125-130 degrees) to make a cup.  Unzip top and add egg and water mixture and 3T. oil.  Reseal bag and have children mix by squishing all the ingredients together.  Open bag and add 1C. whole wheat flour, close it again and mix thoroughly to make a stiff dough that pulls away from the bag. If needed add another ¼C. of all-purpose flour.  Children should knead the dough in the bag for about four to five minutes singing the Hot Cross Buns nursery rhyme.  Have the children grease a large cupcake pan and then take a handful of dough, roll it into a ball and drop it into the pan.  Cover the pan with a clean towel and allow the buns to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes until they double in size.  Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until done.  Decorate with an icing “X” using store bought icing or use the icing recipe in my book Teaching with Heart… These activities reinforce not only language skills, but math measuring skills, science skills, and social working together skills which all help to develop intellectual thinking skills.  And the buns are not bad either!