Poetry existed even before literacy saw the light. The earliest form of poetry existed as a form of songs and hymns. Most of the history came down to mankind’s knowledge through the form of poetry and folklore. Nursery rhymes are a modern twist to the age-old lullabies, sung by moms to comfort their babies and put their babies to sleep.

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Nursery rhymes and poems – Over the years, rhymes have taken a much-structured form. They have been existing for centuries and recited to children. With that background, let us take a look at the basic differences between a nursery rhymes and poems and how they affect a child and help develop their personalities.

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Difference Between a Nursery Rhymes and Poems

Poems are the arts through which a correct form of emotion is expressed. They can either be fictional, sending out a message, talk of morals and can be derived from the stories and folklore of the region. Poems do not necessarily have to rhyme and can be a free form of language expressing the emotions aesthetically and may encompass thoughts of the poet on any social issue or experience.

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Nursery rhymes, as the name suggests, is designed for children. They have rhyming words in every line or on alternate lines with simple usage of common words making the entire piece easy to grasp by kids. They do not show intense human emotions. They can be a pure work of fiction-making the entire piece amusing for the kids and easy for them to recite and pronounce. The content of the rhyme is easy and enjoyable by children.

Effects of Nursery Rhymes on Children

• Rhymes help in the development of language in kids. With words rhyming in every line or alternate lines, a rhyme creates a right context for unfamiliar words. Moreover, reading the rhymes aloud helps the kids in –

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1. Understanding voice modulation
2. Correct pronunciation
3. Using the right volume in speech.

• Rhymes aid in physical development in children. It help kids to get proper breathing coordination since they use simple words. Children learn where to breathe and for how long while reading them aloud without much effort. It also helps kids with stuttering issues ,correct the shortcoming through proper tongue and mouth movements.

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• Rhymes help in boosting the cognitive skills of a child. While reading the rhymes aloud and with body movements, children first start to understand sequences and patterns and then the skill to memorize the words. Also, it is through rhymes that children are introduced to the common words which sound similar but mean different. The skills of sequencing and pattern not just prepare them for intensive subjects like mathematics to be introduced in the future while the literary aspect creates a reader in the child and plants the seed of a reading habit at an early age. At a later stage, as the child grows up, they can be introduced easily to more complex human emotions through poetry.

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• Social bonding is enhanced through rhymes. Almost every child finds it really amusing to showcase his ‘skills’ through rhymes in any family gathering or at play. Reading nursery rhymes to kids at bedtime creates a better parent-child bond.

According to Kathy Short, a professor at the UA department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies “Rhymes are an exercise in language play. They build the ability to hear phonemic differences, which is critical to becoming a reader.”

Nursery rhymes form the foundation in kids with simple emotions and fictional stories and can be easily introduced to prose and poetry as they grow up.