Are Nursery Rhymes too Old Fashioned?


Mother Goose might be old fashioned, but it really does something for kids.

Let's dive into this and consider reading Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes to kids.

I remember the day I started the book The Key to Rhondo by Emily Rodda to my students. I was teaching a fifth grade class at a local public school and I had just purchased the book from the Scholastic Book Fair.

As I was reading the book and introducing the characters, most of my students just didn't get it. Why? It was filled with characters from nursery rhymes and fables.

What I realized was this class (and I discovered many of the following years of students I read the book to) had NOT been read the classic nursery rhymes and fables. This resulted in a misunderstanding of the book I was reading.

What did I do? I went back and read some of the rhymes and fables where the characters show up and this increased their understanding of the story.

Does this mean you need to read nursery rhymes and fables to your upper elementary children? Maybe, maybe not.

What I would do is not ignore classics. Why? The lay the groundwork for many other pieces of literature your child will be reading both in a out of school.

Take a moment to look a few of these up and incorporate them into your evening reading routines! You never know when the classics will come in handy!

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Tutoring with Sheryl

I am a seasoned educator and reading specialist, empowering struggling readers from Kindergarten to Sixth Grade through evidence-based methods rooted in the Science of Reading. I personalize instruction, blending phonics, decoding, spelling, writing, and comprehension, fostering significant reading achievement. I have helped over 40 families move their child forward with their learning in the last 3 years. I have an established following on my Facebook pages where parents seek information about reading and tutors seek information on how to tutor online with little to no effort. My YouTube pages continue to grow their reach, as do my social media channels on Instagram and TikTok. I have been a guest on the podcasts, The Online Tutor Podcast and Tutoring Tips for Teachers. I have also made several guest appearances and led educational summits including IMPACT 6 and SOAR 1 and 2.

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