Dr. Laurie Noe, Coordinator of Early Childhood at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport CT. stated “From babbling to bantering children love to play with the sound of language.  That play is valuable as well as entertaining.  It helps scaffold children to the next level of language development.”

Infants: Many people believe that oral language is the basis for becoming literate.  Without oral language it is difficult to develop the ability to read and write.  New studies are showing that spoken language has an astonishing impact on an infant’s brain development.  Using nursery rhymes like “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” from my book Teaching with Heart will help children begin to understand not only the sounds that words make but are also a magnet for a child’s thinking and reasoning skills.

Toddlers: Dr. Betty Hart, a professor emeritus of human development at the University of Kansas in Lawrence said in her book Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children, “The key to brain development seems to be the rate of early learning – not so much what is wired but how much of the brain gets interconnected in those first months and years.”  So, talking and reading to young children constantly may be the single most important factor in early brain development.  When using nursery rhymes like “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” to teach words, link them to an activity.  Encourage children to get down on the ground on their hand and knees like sheep while repeating the rhyme.  Linking words and actions strengthens the brain’s development, and it is those responsive, positive experiences that stabilize connections in the brain.

Preschoolers: A nursery rhyme like “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” can also encourage cognitive or intellectual development. Talk to children about all the different kinds of cheeses, and what animals they come from such as cows, goats, buffalos and sheep.  Go to the grocery store and get samples of different kinds of cheese.  Try Cheddar from cows, Buffalo Mozzarella, Chevre or Feta from goats and Roquefort from sheep.  Before tasting ask the children to make a prediction as to which cheese will be their favorite.  Then do a taste test and have them vote on the one they liked best.  Make a graph to see which cheese gets the most votes.  This is a good math activity and making predictions will help to develop critical thinking skills.