My Nursery Rhyme Rant
If you don't like rants then perhaps you shouldn't read the rest of this post.
I'm writing this on the last day of a visit to the USA and writing it - what's more - in a bit of a state of shock.
I was at a children's party the other day in a room full of 5-7 year old children and a good time was had by all; plenty of running round and games like Pass the Parcel and Musical Statues. Lots of good fun.
What shocked me was that during one of the games, the children were asked to sing a nursery rhyme, and they didn't know one single song all the way through!
They could all tell me that the song played during Pass the Parcel was by Lady Gaga, but not one of them could sing something simple all the way through.
One or two of them managed half a verse of but that was it!
I have to say that my own two grandsons managed better - largely because I sing lots of songs with them including a naughty one about three black cats coming knocking on the door.
But for a generation of American (and I suspect British) children, the nursery rhyme seems to be a thing of the past. So why should we care? Well, setting aside cultural identity, the very act of remembering rhyme and rhythm helps with brain patterning.
If you care at all about your child's brain development, instead of sitting him or her in front of the goggle box, spend some time singing to them and teaching them all the old rhymes and songs, if only for the selfish reason that it will help them learn and think.
I have a terrifying image of a world ahead of us where the only songs kids know are those pumped at them by the music industry and where the only relationships they make will be on Facebook or some other social networking site and where the only sport they play will be on Wii or whatever it's called.
A nightmare vision that even Orwell or Huxley couldn't have forseen. AAAAAARGH! Pass me the Humpty Dumpty and the Wee Willy Winky, quick!
Comment number 1.
At 20th Mar 2010, evansakes wrote:I think it's political correctness gone mad. Study most classic nursery rhymes closely and the unfolding horrors are not the sort of thing some parents would want to be seen rocking their children to sleep with.
Humpty Dumpty's great fall, Jack and Jill's broken crown, the four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. Not to mention the cradle falling from the treetop in Rockabye Baby.....surely the stuff of nightmares for many toddlers!
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Comment number 2.
At 20th Mar 2010, Celeste wrote:I'm in my early 30's and I've always found it upsetting that kids don't know nursery rhymes, but then a lot of parents my age don't know them either. I'm pleased to say my 2 year old knows loads, she'd happily spend hours watching them on YouTube, and singing and dancing with us while her Dad plays guitar. She spends car journeys serenading us and making up her own versions. An hour of Twinkle Twinkle little star is a bit much though.
She'll also serenade us with the alphabet. She doesn't know it's the alphabet yet, but it's a tune with a nice rhythm so she remembers it.
If she follows in my footsteps by the time she's 7 she'll have progressed from nursery rhymes to Napoleon's Retreat from Wigan.
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Comment number 3.
At 8th Apr 2010, Folkonthefarm wrote:It is sad that the majority of children and young adults don't have any knowledge of the common nursery rhymes. It is just another symptom of the have everything culture, but nothing of any worth.
The same goes for playing outside. Remember all those skipping games about the big ship sailing up the ally, ally Oh? Sly Fox and tig and release?
You never saw a kid without skinned knees and elbows and certainly in the village where I grew up, the only time we went home was to eat and sleep! I don't remember many fatties around then either!
TV and computer games have a lot to answer for!
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Comment number 4.
At 3rd May 2010, Glasgow Brian wrote:I agree - and the same could be said for folk lullabys. When was the last time you heard the like of COULTER'S CANDY [Ally Bally Bee] in a folk club or pub session? So I was pleased to re-write it as MUMMY'S CANDY, about a baby girl who loves her mummy's "candy". So far, it's going down well at pub folk sessions, and with our latest granddaughter.
I posted it as a comment on Karine Polwart's blog on Motherhood. Please have a look. The chorus is:
Ally bally, ally bally bee
Sitting on your mummy's knee
Crying for everyone to see
To get more mummy's candy.
Best wishes to all, Brian
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Comment number 5.
At 25th May 2010, ramilderty123 wrote:It is sad that the majority of children and young adults don't have any knowledge of the common nursery rhymes. It is just another symptom of the have everything culture, but nothing of any worth. You never saw a kid without skinned knees and elbows and certainly in the village where I grew up, the only time we went home was to eat and sleep! I don't remember many fatties around then either!
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Comment number 6.
At 9th Jun 2010, farhaj wrote:I have been hearing these Nursery Rhymes since my child hood. They have hardly changed ever since then. Every now and then there are some new ones but probably are closely related to the previous ones.
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Comment number 7.
At 13th Aug 2010, U14583353 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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