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In class, we had so much fun with counting rhymes! We played "This is the Beehive" with our hands. Then, we split into small groups to teach everyone a rhyme. We did "Five Little Monkeys" with hand movements, used puppets for "Five Little Ducks," and had fun with "Five Little Green and Freckled Frogs" and "Five Little Snowmen." After that, we made monkey finger puppets for "Five Little Monkeys." We talked about how these rhymes help kids imagine and use their fingers. Learning was like a playful adventure for us!

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We had a special time exploring different genres in children's literature. We worked in pairs, filling out a paper to understand various genres like riddles, fairy tales, and more. It was interesting to see how these genres make children's stories exciting and varied.

We also chatted about how sharing rhymes can be a fantastic way for children to learn English. One rhyme that caught our attention was the delightful "Pat-a-Cake." We practiced the hand movements together, turning learning into a playful experience. It was a wonderful way to blend literature genres with language fun!

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We learned some action rhymes this day. We did a warmup made of movements of the the Here we go round the mulbery bush song, which is about a morning routine. Then we identifyied actions from pictures /book/ and adding movements with the same song and we were singing it altogether. We tried singing the song with actions around in the circle and mixed up the order of activities. Then we did a little revision about our last homework about learning through nursery rhymes: we were reading with gap that we had to fill and we got some key words on cards from our professor and we had to make a question about the keyword and ask our groupmate about it.

We mentioned so many fields of this topic. Using rhymes to teach English to young children has several benefits. Rhymes help children explore the mechanics of the English language, become familiar with the relationship between sounds and letters, and decode the sounds that make up words. Rhymes also provide a motivating stepping stone for children who are learning English, especially in the early stages when progress may seem slow. Additionally, sharing rhymes with an encouraging adult can help shy children gain confidence in speaking English. To incorporate rhymes into your daily routine with your children, it has several activities:

You can start by choosing a few rhymes that your children enjoy and repeating them regularly. You can also use rhymes to teach vocabulary and sentence structure, or to practice pronunciation and intonation.

Rhymes can be incorporated into everyday activities such as mealtime, bath time, or bedtime.

to make rhymes more engaging and memorable for children we should use props and actions.

This day Lilla and Dávid held the first micro teaching and it was about the I’m a little teapot. After the microteaching we sat back to our desks and learned a new song which was the Wheels on the bus. At first were talking about buses in towns ( for example their colors), what happens in buses usually and then we learned the song with movements from cards. For homework we had to make a craft about a red double decker bus and we had to do some research about what are Mother Goose Rhymes. Nursery rhymes verses are spoken or sung by adult to young children. The term of nursery rhyme seems to have been adopted in England in the first half of the  19th century. "Mother Goose" is like a storyteller from a long time ago. People don't know who she really was, but her name is associated with a collection of nursery rhymes and children's stories. The term "Mother Goose" gained popularity in English literature, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The collection known as "Mother Goose nursery rhymes" refers to a wide array of traditional rhymes and stories passed down orally through generations. These rhymes cover a range of themes, from simple counting and playful stories to moral lessons and whimsical tales. Some well-known examples include "Humpty Dumpty," "Jack and Jill," and "Hey Diddle Diddle."

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Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush | Barefoot Books Singalong

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At the begining of our class we played with tongue twisters (Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry) and we were revising with the a I’m a little teapot with Lilla and Dávid.

Then Danica and Vera and me and Taerim held a microteaching. Vera and Danica thaught us a clapping rhyme about “A salir went to sea, sea, sea and me and Taerim taught a nursery rhyme with animal puppets about Old McDonald song.

We took a look at some games for developing sound awareness for example rhyming puzzles, peg a rhyme matching game (you have to clip the peg the pictures at the bottom that rhyme with the one on top), unlock a rhyme (: only the key with the rhyming picture can open a lock), roll a rhyme (you have to roll the picture dice and match the rhyming pictures) and so on.

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We learned about food rhymes with or professor ( Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate and Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold) and on micro teaching (Little Miss Muffet: with pictures, Potato Song). Then we took a look of our posters which was about using nursery rhymes in early childhood language development. At the end of our class we a did a craft about a spider. We had a discussion about Playing with sounds and words reading task, which I would like talk about.

Kids really enjoy playing with words, especially when they say them over and over. It's like playing with new toys for them. Saying words again and again helps them remember and understand the words better. Rhyming words, like in nursery rhymes, is a special way that helps kids pay attention to how words sound. This is important for learning to read. So, when children repeat words, it's like having fun while learning about the sounds of language. Parents and teachers can make talking with kids more fun by using regular routines and saying rhyming verses together. This not only makes children feel comfortable but also helps them get used to the sounds and rhythms of words. Saying words again and again is like a game that helps kids remember and enjoy playing with language. Nursery rhymes, like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" or "Mary Had a Little Lamb," are great examples. These rhymes often use repetition, rhyme, and alliteration to create memorable and engaging language patterns for children. So, when adults include word play and repetition in everyday activities, it's like turning learning into a playful adventure for little ones.

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We played a game called What’s the time, Mr wolf?.

The game ‘s rule:

One player is Mr Wolf and Mr Wolf walks slowly. The players walk slowly towards Mr Wolf and shout  “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” Mr Wolf turns around quickly and shouts “One o’clock” Mr Wolf turns around and walks again. The players get nearer and nearer to Mr Wolf. They ask “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?” again. If Mr Wolf shouts “Dinner time!”, he runs after the players and tries to touch one o them,if Mr Wolf touches someone, they are Mr Wolf and the game starts again.

After this game we had two microteaching and we learned the If you’re happy … (it was an action rhyme) song and the One, one,one, one, little dog run (it was a counting and an action rhyme)

Then our professor held a presentation about the cultural and historial references behind raditional English nursery rhymes and we learned some of them (Ring o Roses). Then we took a look on our posters and the topic of poster was how can we want to inform parents in an attractive way about the role and place of nursery rhymes in the children's language development in our billingual kindergarten.

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We started with nonsense nursery rhymes like Hey Diddle Diddle, There was a crooked man, The man in the moon, Oh that I were. In my opinion nonsense rhymes are like secret language games that help kids in bilingual kindergartens. They make learning enjoyable, help with essential linguistic skills, and contribute to the overall cognitive and social development of young learners. Then we did a gap filling game while listening to a song „Where do the children play” by Cat Stevens. Then we talked about the topic-centred learning – which I will mention in my reflective summary – and we practised an example, we made created charts of who sleeps barefoot or on socks on in our group and interprreted the chart. This activity is good for maths activity. We learned some number rhymes (Ten fingers, Two little eyes look around, In the cottage garden, In the toy shop, Number 1 show your tongue, Off to the moon) and ABC rhyme (A was an apple pie)  as well. At the end of the class Berta and Rocio held a micro teaching with the „On your march” and Panna and Anikó held too with the „Once I caught a fish alive”.

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We took a look on each other’s topic-centered teaching mind maps and we shared our ideas. Then three three micro teaching sessions have held with Panka and Anita with the Five little goblins , Ana and Laura  with Hickory dickory dock and with Svenja with the  Clap your hands rhymes. Lastly, we explored modern British poetry written by authors such as Spike Milligan, John Agard, Benjamin Zephaniah (from the Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry), and more. The first three poets have diverse backgrounds: Spike Milligan was born in India, John Agard in Guyana, and Benjamin Zephaniah in Britain but has Jamaican roots. Attached are interviews with each poet where they answer some unconventional questions.

The collection includes poems suitable for kindergarten-age children in a bilingual setting, as well as others meant for your enjoyment and amusement.

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We were cutting out a mini book for Baa Baa, black sheep. On this book there were pitures and words what we could write in, so it might be good for kids who would like to practise writing in kindergarten. We learned the the Ladybird, ladybird fly away home and a and games (Queenie, queenie,Please, Mr Crocodiel, Poison), counting out rhymes for games like Ibble, obble; Dip, dip, dip; One potato and traditional English playground games  (Oranges and lemons) and children’s teasers (Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater) .We watched a painting about old children games.

I would like desrcibe these games we had learned this class:

·         Oranges and Lemons

It is often played as a children's game and involves a singing rhyme accompanied by actions. The game is played by forming an arch with the players' arms, creating a tunnel for others to pass through. As the song is sung, the arch is raised and lowered to "catch" a player as they pass through during a specific part of the song. The game typically ends with the last line, where the child caught during the lowering of the arch takes on the role of the chopper for the next round.

The lyrics go like this:

Say the bells of St Clement’s.

You owe me five farthings.

Say the bells of St Martin’s.

When will you pay me?

Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,

Say the bells of Shoreditch.

When will that be?

Say the bells of Stepney.

I do not know,

Say the bells of Bow

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,

And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

Chip chop, chip chop, the last man is dead.

·         Queenie, Queenie, Who’s got the ball?

children are standing in a circle. One child, designated as "Queenie," stands in the center with a ball. The other children pass the ball around while chanting, "Queenie, Queenie, who's got the ball?" Queenie responds by naming a person who doesn't actually have the ball. If the named person has the ball, they must quickly throw it to someone else before Queenie can catch them. If Queenie catches the ball, that person becomes the new Queenie.

·         Please Mr. Crocodile:

In this game, children form a line behind a designated player called "Mr. Crocodile." The rest of the children stand some distance away. The children in the line take turns asking, "Please, Mr. Crocodile, may we cross the golden river?" Mr. Crocodile responds with, "Only if you have the magic word." The child then responds with a word, and if Mr. Crocodile approves, they can cross. However, at any point, Mr. Crocodile can say, "Snap!" and try to catch one of the children as they run across the river. The caught child becomes the new Mr. Crocodile.

·         Ladybug, Ladybug…

Children form a circle, and one child is chosen to be the "Ladybug." The Ladybug stands in the center of the circle while the other children walk or skip around the Ladybug. As they move, the children chant the rhyme:

Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home,

Your house is on fire, your children all roam,

All except one, and that's little Ann,

For she crept under the frying pan.

When the rhyme is finished, the Ladybug tries to tag one of the children. The child tagged becomes the new Ladybug, and the game continues.

·         Poison

Children stand in a circle, and one person is chosen to be the leader or "It." The leader points to different participants one by one, saying "1, 2, 3, 4, 5," and so on, until they reach a number they've secretly chosen. For example, they might say "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, poison!" when pointing to a participant. The child who was chosen as "poison" must quickly run away from the circle while everyone else runs away too. The leader tries to tag the child who is running away. If the leader succeeds, the tagged child becomes the new leader. If the tagged child manages to reach the leader's spot without getting tagged, the leader continues for another round.

Cheater, cheater, Pumpin eater

Children form a circle, and one person is chosen to be the leader or "It." The leader points to different participants in the circle one by one while saying the rhyme:

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater,

Had a wife and couldn't keep her.

Put her in a pumpkin shell,

And there he kept her very well.

After saying the rhyme, the leader tries to tag the participant they pointed to before that person can run away. After saying the rhyme, the leader tries to tag the participant they pointed to before that person can run away.

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The course shed light on the crucial role of nursery rhymes in early childhood development. I gained a lot of new knowledge on the course and I would like to summarize what the course taught me.  Nursery rhymes serve as linguistic building blocks, encourage language acquisition in a playful and memorable way. Understanding the rhythmic patterns and rhyming words in these rhymes enhances phonological awareness in young learners. I found out that repeating rhymes helps kids speak better and understand language. The course showed that nursery rhymes can be used in many different ways for teaching. The course emphasized the importance of incorporating nursery rhymes into early education to cultivate a love for language.

I discovered that the rhythmic nature of rhymes helps in developing a child's auditory discrimination skills. Nursery rhymes serve as a cultural bridge, introducing children to the beauty of the English language in a rhythmic and engaging manner. The course highlighted the connection between rhyme, rhythm, and the development of early literacy skills. I learned how rhymes create a foundation for phonemic awareness, a crucial skill for reading readiness. Nursery rhymes are fun and help us enjoy learning language, making us feel good about reading and writing. Learning about their history and culture made me like them even more because they've been loved for a long time.

I gained insights into how nursery rhymes provide a rich source of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions for young language learners. The course emphasized the role of nursery rhymes in promoting social interaction and cooperation among children. I learned how the repetitive nature of rhymes aids in language fluency and comprehension. The course materials and discussions showcased the adaptability of nursery rhymes for diverse teaching contexts. Practical activities, like creating finger puppets for rhymes, made the learning experience hands-on and enjoyable. I understood how nursery rhymes contribute to a child's overall cognitive and emotional development

I also got to know how topic-centered learning is structured. Children will learn most of their subjects by focusing on specific topics. This is good for a few reasons. First, it helps them understand where their learning fits into their own experiences. In language learning, this is super important. Just learning a word by itself doesn't make much sense, and sentences need a context to be clear. Traditional language exercises that don't connect to anything else might have confused students.

The second important thing is meaning. If the topic is interesting and relevant to the children, learning becomes more meaningful. Kids naturally want to find meaning in what they're learning. By focusing on the topic together, they can dive deeper into it, facing more interesting challenges than just doing simple language exercises.

So, topics give children interesting content, a shared context, and a focus on meaning. This gives them a real reason to learn language and to learn in general. They're not just learning language for its own sake but to expand their knowledge in a broader way. Language becomes their tool for discovering, learning more, and understanding the world around them.

This approach has been used in regular primary education for a while. But, in language teaching, sometimes the focus has been more on teaching specific structures or functions without thinking much about how well the children are really learning. Activities often isolate language features, teaching them just for the sake of learning. For most children, language isn't interesting on its own – it's a tool for doing things. They want to use language to communicate, find information, and solve problems.

In short, topic-centered learning is great because it gives a clear context, making learning more meaningful, and it gives children a real purpose for using language in class.

All in all in the Children's Literature course, I learned to love nursery rhymes even more and understand how important they are for a child's language development.

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My nursery rhyme poster: Hush Little baby don’t say a word

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My nursery rhyme poster: Hush Little baby don’t say a word

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“Hush little baby” is a nursery rhyme from the Southern United States about a mom trying to calm her crying baby by promising different gifts. The song has evolved over time, with versions collected by folklorist like Cecil Sharp and Alan Lomax. The most familiar version comes from Jean Ritchie in 1949. Artists like The Weavers, Joan Baez, Regina Sprektor, and others have also recorded their versions. The song involves a series of promised gifts to comfort the child, with reminder that if doesn’t work, there’s a better one coming. Despite it’s sweetness, the song also suggests that giving gifts might help improve a child’s behaviour.

The lyrics:

Hush little baby, don’t say a word,

Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird,

And if that mockingbird don’t sing,

Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring,

 If that diamond ring turns brass,

Mama’s gonna buy you a looking- grass,

If that looking-glass gets broke,

Mama’s gonna buy you cart and bull,

If that cart and bull falls over,

Mama’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover,

If that dog named Rover won’t bark,

Mama’s gonna buy you a horse and cart,

If that horse and cart falls down,

You’ll still be the prettiest little baby in town.

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Hush Little Baby nursery rhyme by different artists

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Hush Little Baby nursery rhyme by different artists

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Jean Ritchie:

https://youtu.be/f7SbfKBMI9A?si=cKQhwUJKXjUZKV-s

The Weaves:

https://youtu.be/t-f4rAJ8U7k?si=ZhkVRwLVeyYYOWoj

Joan Baez:

https://youtu.be/0_KGYp6Q0e0?si=ROH84XcG5jU6uk6m

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Rhyme-and song-based schoolyard games are found in every country and culture - basically anywhere that has spoken language where children are allowed to play freely. Dating back several countries, rhyming games serve several purposes - linguistic, social and physical - for nurturing of young, growing minds: to explore and develop language, to allow and experience an acceptable form of critism and rejection, to develop physical coordination, and to teach the social behaviors of turn-taking, rule-setting, cooperation, and playful competition

Rhyming games take several forms, falling roughly/into these overlapping categories: circle dances (eg.: Ring-a-ring o’ roses/rosie), clapping games (Sailor went to sea sea sea), arch or catching or “dipping” games (Oranges and Lemons), selection or counting out games (Ice cream soda, Delaware Punch). Childhood rhymes and rhyming games can be traced back to as early as the 17th century in the English language, and like the most those enjoyed by children - the rhymes can be found and remembered in many different national, regional and cultural variations.

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Playing with words rythmn and rhyme reading task

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Playing with words rythmn and rhyme reading task

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I made mind maps about this topic and I think these are speak for themselves.😊

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This PDF provides activities and ideas to practice English pronunciation skills for children. The activities include songs, rhymes, drawing and rhyming games, creating characters with names that emphasize specific sounds, practicing tongue twisters, and listening to stories. The file also suggests utilizing online resources and apps specifically designed to assist with English pronunciation practice. The British Council's LearnEnglish Kids website and various pronunciation apps are some examples of such resources. The file emphasizes making the learning process enjoyable and engaging for children.

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Me and Panka Eperjesi's pair work of the topic-centred learning mind map

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Me and Panka Eperjesi's pair work of the topic-centred learning mind map

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My mindmap of the Chapter 6 Reading Task

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My mindmap of the Chapter 6 Reading Task