Origin
Humpty Dumpty was first written in 1810, and it became famous after being seen in Lewis Carroll’s book Alice Through the Looking Glass. In the 15th century it was seen to describe large people, and some myths believe it to be the name of a large cannon used during the English Civil War. The common theory behind it being a large cannon was that in one of the battles they had the cannon on the roof of a church whose structure wasn’t solid. During the battle the cannon fell and was unable to be repaired or brought back up to the roof to continue the battle. Other theories include that the rhyme was based on Charles I after being overtaken by the Puritans and executed by his army. Another, that is is based on King Richard III during his defeat in war. One final theory is that it is based on Cardinal Wosley who was a friend of Henry VIII who turned his back on him and died shortly after. The origin of Humpty Dumpty is important to understand because it is such a common rhyme that children adore. Through this rhyme children can learn a variety of skills.
Skills that Can Develop
There are quite a few skills children between the age of 0 and 5 can develop through this nursery rhyme. Children can grow in their literacy skills by hearing and repeating the words to this rhyme. The repetition of nursery rhymes helps to build a child’s vocabulary as they get older. Any songs that involve movement will build up their gross motor strength and, if it includes a felt board, their fine motor strength. A child also learns through cause and effect. The sitting on a wall is unsafe, and the result ended up in being hurt. Through singing the nursery rhyme and seeing it on paper a child will also begin to see how rhymes work. They will start to understand why a rhyme is a rhyme and possibly come up with other words to insert into the rhyme. Lastly, during songs or music ,when involved in a group, a child is learning to attend to a task, to sing a long with peers, to memorize it as they learn, and how to make their inflection change while singing.
Topics for Children to Explore
Some topics to be explored within this rhyme are cause and effect, rhyming, what happens when I get hurt, and what is safe or dangerous. For young kids, illustrations and songs really help with retention. By telling a child, the child may not understand it, but if you show a child they are more likely to learn.
How to Implement in your Child’s Life
The learning also comes with how it’s implemented. Children do love songs and singing in general. For younger children ages 0-2 singing the song and doing the movements will help build up those gross motor skills. If read a story, fine motor can be worked on with the felt board type of display. The child will have to use their pincher grasp to move the felt around the board. With older groups, during this time, a simple cause and effect can be taught. A teacher can ask “What happened when he fell?” And follow with “Is he happy or sad?” “What should we do if we see a friend is hurt?” Lastly, you can also teach about rhyming by having the words on the screen or board and having children come up with other words that rhyme.