Ten in the bed nursery rhymes about 10 who share one large bed. The littlest says “Roll over.” Little by little as they roll over, one at a time one falls out of the bed until only the littlest is left in the bed.
Origin
Penny Dale’s bedtime story was published in September 1990, though some give the year as 1988. It’s unknown who set the song to music. Penny Dale has written 17 books for children. “Ten in the Bed” was written in England as a board book that’s aimed at the 4 to 8 age range. The original concept for this board book was about a small child who slept with nine stuffed animals and they kept falling out of bed until only the child was left in the bed. Dale is the mother of one daughter who may have been the inspiration of Dale’s children’s books.
Skills
Many skills can be developed while the child is having a good time listening to the story being read or watching the video. This story can teach a child between the age of 0 to 5 years of age, counting. Children will be able to count from one to 10 by the time they reach first grade, perhaps sooner. Teachers, parents, other supportive friends, and family members can sing the song with hand movements. Sit with the child and hold up 10 fingers, make a rollover motions with the arms, lower one finger to the ground, then hold up nine fingers, and so on. The child can not only understand what the numbers one through 10 are but will also learn motor skills. The repetitiveness of the song can teach rhyming words such as said and bed. The parent can get the child to put the hands together and pretend to go to sleep at the end of the song. Just singing this song, hearing the nusery rhyme and others will increase the child’s speaking vocabulary.
Topics
If you have video or a book with pictures of the stuffed animals, the parent can teach the child to identify each animal in the story. Children five and under will have a head start in learning about the law of gravity, what happens when you roll too far over in the bed.
Preparing a Child for School
If a kindergarten teacher could make up a prerequisite for kindergarten, knowing nursery rhymes would be on the list. Learning nursery rhymes can create togetherness and many of these rhymes are timeless ones parents and grandparents grew up with. Nursery rhymes are a big benefit to teach language and cooperation. Children can learn how to join in with other children and keep up with the songs, hand gestures, and pay attention to the teacher. Preschool or kindergarten, this is the first time a child is in a classroom setting. If the child can learn good classroom skills early, it’ll be beneficial for years to come.