What is World Nursery Rhyme Week, when is it and who can take part?
World Nursery Rhyme Week is an annual initiative that promotes the importance of nursery rhymes in early childhood development and education. The dates for 2024 are the 11th to 15th November.
WNRW is open to anyone who has a child under 7 or works with children under the age of 7. So whether you are a parent or an Early Years practitioner, you are welcome to get involved.
In previous years we have been joined by parents, grandparents, teachers in nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools, day care practitioners, childminders, librarians, play specialists, speech and language specialists, phonics experts and many many more!
Registration and participation is free of charge thanks to the support of our wonderful sponsors. Registration for 2024 will open soon.
How do I register for World Nursery Rhyme Week?
Registration for World Nursery Rhyme Week 2024 will open in the Spring. Sign up to our newsletter (scroll to bottom of page) and we will let you know when registration opens.
What is the ‘Rhyme A Day’ challenge?
Each year we choose 5 nursery rhymes and challenge you to join us singing one of the rhymes each day and if you wish to, organise activities to compliment each rhyme. At the end of the week you can present each participant with a certificate to congratulate them on such a fantastic week of rhyming.
The 5 official rhymes for 2024 are:
- Twinkle Twinkle
- Old Macdonald
- The Big Ship Sails
- Incy Wincy Spider
- 5 Currant Buns
You will find lots of activity ideas and resources in your registration pack for each of the 5 featured rhymes and we also have a Planning Forum for Early Years Practitioners where you can continue to source or share your ideas.
What are the 5 official rhymes for 2024?
The 5 official rhymes for 2024 are:
- Twinkle Twinkle
- Old Macdonald
- The Big Ship Sails
- Incy Wincy Spider
- 5 Currant Buns
What is a Nursery Rhyme Ambassador and how do I become one?
Our Nursery Rhyme Ambassadors play an important role in helping us to spread the word about this important initiative ensuring that more children (whatever their circumstances and wherever they live), can take part each year.
When you register, you will receive an onscreen confirmation message containing your main WNRW resource pack and also a separate Ambassador resource pack for those that wish to take part. A follow up confirmation email also contains links to these resources should you wish to download at a later date.
For more information on our Ambassador scheme visit https://www.worldnurseryrhymeweek.com/nurseryrhymeambassador/
I’m an Early Years practitioner, how can I incorporate this initiative in my setting?
In your registration pack, you will have access to some rhyme themed resources and activity ideas which you may wish to use for your setting.
We also share activity ideas on our social media accounts so it’s worth giving us a follow!
If you wish to collaborate with other Early Years practitioners to discover what they are planning for each of the 5 rhymes, please join our closed Facebook Planning group.
I’m a parent, how can I get involved with World Nursery Rhyme Week?
Each year we welcome thousands of parents (and grandparents and carers!), to World Nursery Rhyme Week.
Parents who have participated previously have used the resources with their children at home, organised meet ups with their friends and their children to enjoy the resources in a group and shared the resources at children’s birthday parties (the colouring in sheets are great for parties!).
You are welcome to use the resources in any way that works best for you.
Can I take part if I’m not an Early Years practitioner or participating as a parent?
Yes, you are very welcome to get involved. Therapists, residential care homes, nursing homes, carers working with dementia patients and adults with learning disabilities are just some of the participants who have taken part previously.
Each year, big name brands and organisations such as Boden, John Lewis and the Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom also get involved on social media, having fun by making up rhymes to describe their products or service.
Please do join us and share your plans with us!
How do we access the free participation certificate?
Participation certificates, posters, colouring in sheets and other free resources are available in your resource pack once you have registered. Registration for 2024 will open in the Spring.
What will my resource pack contain?
Your resource pack will contain colouring in sheets, lyrics, posters, certificates and activity ideas themed around the year’s 5 official rhymes.
The 5 official rhymes for 2024 are:
- Twinkle Twinkle
- Old Macdonald
- The Big Ship Sails
- Incy Wincy Spider
- 5 Currant Buns
Can you email or post the resources?
We are unable to send resources via email, memory stick or post. All resources are made available as downloads only (mostly in PDF format).
You will need Adobe Reader to be able to access the resources which you can download for free via this link.
What device should I use to download my resources?
We recommend you download the resources to a PC or a tablet. Due to the number of resources and size of the files, smartphones are unlikely to manage a successful download.
If you download the resources at work, you need to be aware that firewall security may restrict what you can download. If you encounter this problem, ask your IT department for support, or download the resources to your home PC and email the files back to yourself at work.
Will I need Adobe Reader to access the downloads?
Yes, most of our resources are created in PDF format. You can download Adobe Reader here free of charge.
How can I follow you on social media?
You can join us on Social Media in the following ways:
Facebook Page
Planning Group for Early Years Practitioners
Please help us by using the #nurseryrhymeweek hashtag.
I have a question not covered in your FAQ’s. Who can I contact?
Please contact Claire Bennett on info@worldnurseryrhymeweek.com
This was our first time participating and it was so much fun. I’m so glad we did this and can’t wait until next year.