Old Macdonald Had a Farm

How does this nursery rhyme help?

Old Macdonald helps to introduce new words in a fun way and help develop their language skills. Songs about animals and nature help children learn about their world which is crucial to their development and readiness for school. Young children will get very excited doing the different actions of the animals and will learn by watching you. Moving to music helps to link actions with sounds. 

This song can help with their gross motor skills as they are using their different parts of their body to do the actions. It can help them with their balance, coordination and muscle development. You may find that this song develops your child's listening skills as there are parts of the body to remember. The repetitive nature of the song can help develop their memory skills too.

The parent or caregiver can help their smaller children with simple movements such as putting them on their lap and doing the relevant actions. As your baby gets older, they will be able to do more movements and actions independently. Remember you can make up your own verses and use animals from all around the world.