With every crunchy leaf, pumpkin-spiced latte, and dusky evening, we are carried into the magical season of fall. As you savor this season with your young children, celebrate with language-rich experiences!
Poetry and music are an amazing way to expand your child’s literacy and give them an outlet for their creativity. Whether you are reciting and singing nursery rhymes to your infant or jamming out to Kidz Bop with your preschooler, the cadence, rhythm, and nuance of music has amazing brain-building properties!
Experts have estimated that “If children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.”
Here are some ideas for music or recitations to learn with your young child:
Sing-Alongs:
Autumn leaves
(tune-London Bridge)
Autumn leaves are falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
Autumn leaves are falling down,
Yellow, red, orange and brown!
Leaves are Falling
(tune-Jingle bells)
Leaves are falling,
Leaves are falling,
One fell on my nose!
Leaves are falling,
Leaves are falling,
One fell on my toes!
Leaves are falling,
Leaves are falling,
One fell on my head!
Leaves are falling,
leaves are falling,
Yellow, orange and red!
Poems:
In Autumn
by Winifred C. Marshall
They’re coming down in showers,
The leaves all gold and red;
They’re covering the little flowers,
And tucking them in bed
They’ve spread a fairy carpet
All up and down the street;
And when we skip along to school,
they rustle ‘neath our feet
Autumn
The green leaves are turning
To yellow, red and brown
And when the wind comes
Whistling by, they’ll
all
come
sailing
down
(BONUS – Reinforce some gross-motor skills: Can you make a whistling wind sound? Can you wave like a branch? Which way is down?)
*Quote taken from Why do children love poems. Fox, Mem. (2001). Reading Magic, Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. San Diego, CA: Harcourt.