End of the line for the nursery rhyme?

Humpty Dumpty falls from favour: Third of parents have never sung nursery rhymes

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 10:55 AM on 08th October 2009

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Traditional nursery rhymes are in danger of dying out because parents are singing pop songs to their children instead, a survey suggests.

It found more than a third of parents have never sung a rhyme such as Humpty Dumpty or Baa Baa Black Sheep to their offspring.

And it revealed more than a quarter of the 2,500 parents polled admitted they cannot remember a single nursery rhyme from their childhood.

Great fall: Parents are choosing to sing pop songs rather than traditional rhymes like Humpty Dumpty

Instead, they are choosing chart music in the belief traditional verses are boring and dated.

Professor Roger Beard, of the Institute of Education, which conducted the poll for National Bookstart Day, said nursery rhymes were constructed to help children learn, unlike pop songs.

'Sharing rhymes with children is as important today as it ever was,' he said.

'It helps them to enjoy playing with language and to learn about its patterns and rhythms.'

Dr Tanya Byron, a broadcaster and psychologist, also stressed the benefits of nursery rhymes.

She said: 'Sharing rhymes and books with your child is a fantastic way to enhance your special bond and to encourage them to develop their language, reading and communication skills through play.

'My children loved to join in with the actions on favourites such as Incey Wincey Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and as a family we all looked forward to embarking on new adventures through treasured bedtime stories.'

Those who did sing nursery rhymes to their children named Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as their favourite.