Rhymes can provide wonderful opportunities for children to use their new social and emotional capabilities...
Rhymes provide opportunities to imitate words and actions, especially when they are repeated and become familiar. When parents recite rhymes and songs, using actions, facial expressions, pauses and words musically, they provide a natural opportunity for children to read and respond to verbal and non-verbal social cues.
Being able to request familiar rhymes, songs, and interactive games, often a favorite one over and over, can help young children feel good about what they know and can do.
Rhymes involve more than just words and actions. They involve an emotional undercurrent that may range from excitement, anticipation, surprise, joy, to love, gentle, caring, comfort and reassurance. Having a parent respond accurately to their emotional cues gives the experience of being understood and validated.
When parents and babies play together regularly in familiar ways, babies experience success and confidence in their own abilities and confidence that their parents will read and respond to them in the way they need. Such experiences support attachment between parent and child.
All of the information provided in the Benefits of Mother Goose is taken from an article that was adapted from a presentation given at the first National Conference of the Parent - Child Mother Goose in April 2001.
