Nursery rhymes are an important part of literacy teaching for young children. These rhymes naturally help young children develop phonemic awareness skills, which are the necessary building blocks that children need before they can begin to read. In addition to reading or reciting nursery rhymes, you can infuse those rhymes throughout your classroom with other activities and centers. Check out these ideas to use nursery rhymes with your preschoolers.
Nursery Rhyme Activities for Preschoolers
Bringing props and ideas into your centers helps preschoolers explore nursery rhymes and repeat the words of nursery rhymes. Building rhyming skills, exploring word sounds, and practicing motor skills are just some of the benefits of using these nursery rhyme activities.
Nursery Rhyme Picture Books for Preschoolers (Pre-K Pages)
Songs and Videos of Nursery Rhymes (Pre-K Pages)
Dish and Spoon Painting (Pre-K Pages)
Nursery Rhyme Fluency Sticks (Pre-K Pages)
Nursery Rhyme Four Corners Game (Pre-K Pages)
Muffin Man Tossing Game (Pre-K Pages)
Jack Be Nimble Gross Motor Activity (Pre-K Pages)
Humpty Dumpty Letter Crack (Pre-K Pages)
Jack and Jill Free Printables (Pre-K Pages)
Nursery Rhyme Number Game (Pre-K Pages)
Cow Jumped Over the Moon Craft (Still Playing School)
Nursery Rhyme Sorting (Preschool Inspirations)
Nursery Rhyme Retelling on the Light Table (Still Playing School)
Nursery Rhymes Box (Learning 4 Kids)
Black Sheep Names (Fun-a-Day)
Seek and Stick the Tails on the Sheep (Crafty Kids at Home)
Nursery Rhymes Journals (Fun-a-Day)
Sponge Painting Sheep (Crafty Kids at Home)
Activities for Nursery Rhymes Theme
These activities are great as a part of small group learning or mix these activities into your centers for nursery rhyme fun throughout the classroom.
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary Invitation to Play (Wildflower Ramblings)
Nursery Rhyme Olympics (Educators’ Spin on It)
Pat a Cake Activities (Things to Share and Remember)
Nursery Rhyme Singing Basket (Imagination Tree)
Humpty Dumpty Light Table Play (And Next Comes L)
Three Little Kittens Rhyming Mittens (Growing Book by Book)
Rub-a-Dub-Dub Sink and Float (JDaniel4’s Mom)
Shape Sheep (JDaniel4’s Mom)
Little Bo Peep and Lambs Figures (Danya Banya)
Kittens’ Mittens (Dr. Jean)
Even More Nursery Rhyme Learning Fun!
Singing rhymes is fun, but teaching with them? That’s where the real magic happens! Whether you’re starting a new theme or looking to spice up your routine, these resources make literacy learning a total breeze.
🎶 Nursery Rhyme Literacy Lesson Plan Bundle
Bring the magic of nursery rhymes to life and build key early literacy skills at the same time! This bundle is packed with low-prep, playful activities for 10 classic rhymes—perfect for circle time, small groups, or centers. Each lesson is designed to support oral language, phonological awareness, print concepts, and more… all while having fun!
🎵 Mega Nursery Rhyme Bundle
Our grab our Mega Nursery Rhyme Bundle filed with 1300+ pages of nursery rhyme fun. It will give you everything you need to bring these tales to life:
- Humpty Dumpty
- Little Miss Muffet
- Jack and Jill
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- Hickory Dickory Dock
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Hey Diddle, Diddle
- Baa Baa Black Sheep
- Little Boy Blue
- Little Bo Peep
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- Muffin Man
From whole group to small group, it’s a rhyme-filled toolkit your preschoolers will love—and you’ll actually use.
