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Rhymes and sayings

Rhymes from lap to lap

Long before books, rhymes travelled from mouth to mouth. Here are some of the oldest Norwegian ones, with the games that go with them, and what research says about why they are so good for small children.

TraditionKnowledge

Four old Norwegian rhymes

Tradition

Ro, ro til fiskeskjær

Ro, ro til fiskeskjær,
mange fisker får vi der:
én til far og én til mor,
én til søster og én til bror,
og én til den som fisken dro,
og det var lille ...

Row, row to the fishing skerry, / many fish we’ll catch there: / one for father, one for mother, / one for sister, one for brother, / and one for the one who pulled the fish in, / and that was little …

How to play: The child sits on your lap and you “row” back and forth together. On the last line you say the child’s name.

Tradition

Tommeltott

Tommeltott,
slikkepott,
langemann,
gullebrand
og lille Petter Spillemann.

Thumbkin, / pot-licker, / long man, / gold-ring, / and little Peter Fiddler.

How to play: A finger rhyme. Touch one finger at a time, from the thumb to the little finger.

Tradition

Bro, bro brille

Bro, bro brille,
klokka ringer elleve ...

Bridge, bridge, brille, / the clock strikes eleven …

How to play: A singing game. Two children make a bridge with their arms and the others walk underneath. When the rhyme ends, the bridge falls on whoever is under it.

Tradition

Elle melle

Elle melle,
deg fortelle ...

Elle melle, / to tell you …

How to play: A counting-out rhyme. Whoever gets the last word is out, or “it”. Used to choose who starts a game.

Knowledge

Why rhymes are good for children

Rhymes train the ear to hear the sounds of language. A well-known British study from 1989 found that children who knew many nursery rhymes at three were better at hearing sounds in words later, which in turn was linked to their reading.

Rhymes also give rhythm, closeness and laughter. A lap, a rhyme and a tickling finger play are old wisdom that research has proved right.

Tradition

Rhymes live in variations

Because rhymes were taught by word of mouth, they exist in many versions. Perhaps you learned a different one from the one here. That is not wrong, it is heritage. Share your version under inherited wisdom.

Read on

Inherited wisdom

Every time an elder passes away, a library disappears.

Read more

Superstitions and symbols

We knock on wood, say “break a leg” and avoid ladders, even when we know better.

Read more

The primstav

The primstav was a calendar made of wood, with a summer side and a winter side.

Read more

The Moon Letter

Get the moon’s crystal, intention and ritual at every new and full moon.

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Sources

  1. Bryant mfl. (1989): Nursery rhymes, phonological skills and reading. Journal of Child Language