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From an inclusion and diversity point of view, I find it hard to find many arguments to support the use of traditional nursery rhymes in the Early Years.

AGAINST

1. They present almost exclusively a white, Euro-centric group of characters  (Little Miss Muffet, Jack and Jill, Mary had a little lamb etc) so any children of colour or mixed-race are automatically are not represented.

2. Many of the activities featured in the song bear no relation to early learners. Fetching water in a pail,  making curds and whey, a grandfather's clock etc. I am not denying that it is enriching to know of past traditions but very young children need to 'connect' to the world in order to make sense of it. Offering a host of songs that appear meaningless seems futile - especially in a diverse and multi-cultural classroom as so many children find themselves.

3.There are numerous references to the royal family in traditional nursery rhymes (Sing a song of sixpence, Humpty Dumpty, The Grand of Duke of York etc) - a highly privileged group of people, with little or no connection to the reality of the lives of most people. With the Duke of York's present moral status hanging in the balance, you have to wonder why we might sing about a character with the same title, as unwholesome as him with very young learners.

FOR

I would hand-pick just a few that offer inclusive themes and have stood the test of time in terms of their value and relevance in the Early Years. Perhaps Twinkle twinkle little star is an example.

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Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush originated, according to historian RS Duncan, at Wakefield Prison in England, where female inmates had to exercise around a mulberry tree in the prison yard.

(Taken from The Dark Side of Nursery Rhymes: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150610-the-dark-side-of-nursery-rhymes)

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I like using nursery rhymes, but pick and choose the ones to use. Some make me feel quite uncomfortable, and I like to know where they come from and what they mean, before I feel 'safe' to share them with the children. I've got young children myself and sometimes they come home and sing ones that I don't think are appropriate, but then I don't know what to do...

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Ring a Ring o Roses, or Ring Around the Rosie, may be about the 1665 Great Plague of London: the “rosie” being the malodorous rash that developed on the skin of bubonic plague sufferers, the stench of which then needed concealing with a “pocket full of posies”. The bubonic plague killed 15% of Britain’s population, hence “atishoo, atishoo, we all fall down (dead).”

(Taken from The Dark Side of Nursery Rhymes: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150610-the-dark-side-of-nursery-rhymes)

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It's difficult to know whether a nursery rhyme is OK or not. Although it may seem it is on the surface, it might mean something totally different to what you expect. If you really delve into the meanings of nursery rhymes you learn lots of surprising things!

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Baa Baa Black Sheep is about the medieval wool tax, imposed in the 13th Century by King Edward I. Under the new rules, a third of the cost of a sack of wool went to him, another went to the church and the last to the farmer. (In the original version, nothing was therefore left for the little shepherd boy who lives down the lane). Black sheep were also considered bad luck because their fleeces, unable to be dyed, were less lucrative for the farmer.

(taken from The Dark Side of Nursery Rhymes: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150610-the-dark-side-of-nursery-rhymes)

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They're very comforting and they remind me of my childhood, and the fact that they don't make sense is fun for the children.

They're part of our culture, passed down through the generations, and they sometimes tell stories about historical events. However, that could be quite difficult sometimes.

So I'm conflicted. They can be amusing but they can also be problematic. Help!

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We should think about the language they use

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We should think about the language they use

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If we're being conscious about D,E&I, we should be really careful about how we sing about things. A lot of nursery rhymes seem to be gendered in favour of the male population. Maybe we need to try to 'neutralise' the language a bit - using non-gendered pronouns for example...

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I don't like using nursery rhymes because so many of them are violent if you think about what they mean. I don't think that's what we should be doing.

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Nursery Rhymes are effective in teaching chiildren many things - eg singing, vocab, "joining in" together. My first instinct is to agree with the commenter who says "I think it's OK". My recollection was I hadn't a clue what most were about and it really didn't matter. On reflection however I can see that they MAY have been at work in my subconcious influencing from a very early age, when the young mind is so maleable.  So do the benefits outweigh the "disbenefits"?  I  agree with "choose with care" - the good ones are so valuable in many ways, the bad one are potentially so harmful!

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Doesn't it depend on which rhyme you're using, what you're using it for, who you're using it with, and why you're using it at all?

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Lucy Locket is about a famous spat between two legendary 18th Century prostitutes.

(Taken from The Dark Side of Nursery Rhymes: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150610-the-dark-side-of-nursery-rhymes)

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I think we have to be careful when we use nursery rhymes because not everyone knows them. Also, there are so many different versions of the same song, it sometimes makes it very difficult to sing together!

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I don't really know what to think as it hadn't occurred to me that there was any problem with using nursery rhymes.

I'm definietly going to think about it more from now on!

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No one pays any attention to what the words really mean!

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Oranges and Lemons follows a condemned man en route to his execution – “Here comes a chopper / To chop off your head!” – past a slew of famous London churches: St Clemens, St Martins, Old Bailey, Bow, Stepney, and Shoreditch.

(Taken from The Dark Side of Nursery Rhymes: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150610-the-dark-side-of-nursery-rhymes)