I have yet to meet a Kindergarten teacher who didn’t love nursery rhymes—and crafts or activities to accompany those nursery rhymes? Yes, please!

Hey Diddle Diddle,

I know the sound in the middle,

And that spoon does rhyme with moon.

The first letter’s clear

since it’s nursery rhymes I hear,

and I will be reading by noon.

Voila! What do you think? Be kind, I’m not much for rhymes—only sometimes. Mostly when eating limes (which I pay for in dimes).

Anyway…

I am a huge proponent of nursery rhymes. The silly and nonsensical, the sweet and lovely, the fast and silly – ALL of them. All of that rhyming and playing with sounds is a fantastic way to introduce literacy skills to children.

Learning to hear sounds and rhymes, and spending time playing with rhymes and sounds are huge skills that can be playfully learned early on. In fact, learning to rhyme is one of the seven areas of phonological awareness that little ones need to develop before they can read. 

You will truly be rhyming your little one right into reading.

And there is hardly a more fun way to get ready to read either. So while you are rhyming and playing with nursery rhymes, here are some crafts to accompany the fun!

45 Nursery Rhyme Crafts!

If you have a little one who loves nursery rhymes, or if you are excited about introducing your preschooler to all sorts of new and exciting things, you will LOVE my program for preschoolers! This program introduces children to all seven phonological awareness skills, letters, numbers, fine motor skills, and more. All preschool core skills are covered!

Play into Kindergarten Readiness is divided into seven topics, and since you now know how I feel about nursery rhymes, you won’t be surprised to learn that Nursery Rhymes is one of those themes!

If you are ready to give up the endless search for new activities and want everything done for you in one spot, please check out: Play into Kindergarten Readiness!

Since rhyming is such an important part of preschool learning, one of the seven themes found in Play into Kindergarten Readiness is… you guessed it (I hope!) Nursery Rhymes!

Be sure to cover all of those Preschool Core Skills in the most beautiful and relaxing of ways. Check out Play into Kindergarten Readiness right here!

Right before we dive into those Nursery Rhyme crafts and activities, grab your FREE Printable Number Formation Pack to help your little one on his or her preschool math journey:

 

Now let’s get right to those Nursery Rhyme Crafts and Activities for Preschoolers:

Itsy Bitsy Spider Finger Puppet from LalyMom – Such a fun craft that lets little ones stretch their finger muscles as they reenact the classic nursery rhyme!

Jack Be Nimble Nursery Rhyme Craft from Sugar Aunts – Children can use simple shapes to make a candlestick for Jack.

Hickory Dickory Dock Clock Craft from Still Playing School – Integrate telling time with a fun craft!

Baa Baa Black Sheep Name Craft from Fun-A-Day – Let the children use some wool from the black sheep to paint their names!

Hey Diddle Diddle Popsicle Stick Puppets from One Perfect Day – Make some fun character puppets with popsicle sticks, then let the kids tell the story!

Humpty Dumpty Egg Puzzles from Mom to 2 Posh L’il Divas – This nursery rhyme craft is perfect for kids who love using band-aids.

Climbing Itsy Bitsy Spider from Kids’ Craft Room – Use a paper plate to make this spider that really climbs!

Mrs. Blair’s Pig Pen from Serendipitous Discovery – Kids would certainly love using these clothespin pigs to retell This Little Piggy!

Humpty Dumpty Eggshell Collage from Here Come the Girls – This mixed media craft includes real eggshells to recreate Humpty Dumpty!

Read-Make-Sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Craft from The Educators’ Spin On It – What a fun, sparkling craft created by a five-year-old!

Ring Around the Rosie Spinning Photo CD Tops from LalyMom – What a wonderful idea to go along with this classic kid’s rhyme!

Yarn Wrap Sheep from Craftulate – Work on fine motor skills while singing Baa, Baa Black Sheep.

Simple Paper Boat Craft from Kids Activities Blog – Let kids personalize their own boat to row gently down the stream.

Humpty Dumpty Craft from Teach Me Mommy – What a fun and easy way to make a Humpty Dumpty who’s harder to break.

Sheep Craft for Kids from I Heart Crafty Things – This textured sheep craft would be great for Little Bo Peep or Mary Had a Little Lamb!

TP Roll Farm Animals from Crafty Kids at Home – Grab some recyclables and let the kids create their own farm animals for Old MacDonald’s farm!

Crown Fit for a Queen or King from Rainy Day Mum – This craft would be great for the rhyme Old King Cole!

“A Kitten’s Tale” Craft from Vintage Mama’s Cottage – What a fun craft that can be used for matching little lost kittens’ mittens!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Painting from Artsy Momma – Simple and fun craft all about those twinkling stars.

Five Green and Speckled Frogs. These story stones are lovely for retelling this fun rhyme!

Walnut Mice from Red Ted Art – Make mice out of walnuts and felt, then set them to rolling around the clock.

To Market, To Market Craft from My Nearest and Dearest – Kids use shapes to create the pig and home from this classic little rhyme!

Itsy Bitsy Spider Nursery Rhyme Window Craft from Where Imagination Grows – This is a movable, reusable craft for the Itsy Bitsy Spider! What a fun way to practice the rhyme again and again!

Snip and Punch Jack and Jill Pail from Toddler Approved – The kids will need a pail if they’re going to fetch some water with beloved nursery rhyme characters.

Paper Bag Crowns from Art Bar – Let the children make their own crowns. Great for acting out nursery rhymes like Old King Cole.

Little Miss Muffet Handprint Spider Craft from Messy Little Monster – Use the kids’ hands to make this craft. Then you just need a Little Miss Muffet stand-in!

Paper Plate Sheep Mask for Kids from Danya Banya – Kids would have such fun making this, then pretending to be one of Little Bo Peep’s lost sheep!

Button Nosed Mice from See What We Did Today – Use basic shapes, and buttons, for the mice that climb up the clock!

Jack Be Nimble Candlestick Craft from Creative Family Fun – Use recyclables to make this simple candlestick with the kids. Then the jumping can commence!

Easy Preschool Spider Web Craft from Rainy Day Mum – Pompoms, googly eyes, and lacing… what’s not to love about this Itsy Bitsy Spider craft?

Jack and Jill Puppets from Crayola – Let the children use paper, and their imaginations, to make Jack and Jill puppets! Don’t forget the pail!

Salt Dough Star Craft from Meaningful Mama – Make some twinkling stars to hang up around the house!

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary Mural from Creative Family Fun – Such a fun collaborative project using paint and cardboard!

Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe Craft from Sugar Aunts – Children can make their own shoe, lace it up, and add children to it as they learn the rhyme.

Three Little Kittens Craft from A Mommy’s Adventures – Make a cat stick puppet with construction paper! Use yarn to keep those little mittens from getting lost.

Make a Tipping Tea Pot from Danya Banya – This simple nursery rhyme craft lets kids design a teapot to go along with I’m a Little Tea Pot.

Pop Goes the Weasel Craft from LalyMom – Kids will definitely have a blast with this weasel that really pops!

The Wheels on the Bus Bubble Wrap Craft from Crafty Kids at Home – Use bubble wrap, paint, and paper to make this super fun bus.

Five Currant Buns Craft from Kids Craft Room – What an easy and fun way to make some props for this nursery rhyme!

Hickory Dickory Dock Shape Craft from Teach Me Mommy – Children use basic shapes and numbers for a simple nursery rhyme craft.

Paper Plate Humpty Dumpty from Glued to My Crafts – Super easy paper plate craft the kids can make for the classic nursery rhyme.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars from Playing in Prep – Kids are sure to enjoy this simple star craft using sequins!

Hey Diddle, Diddle Nursery Rhyme Craft from All Kids Network – Help children make the cow and the moon he jumped over.

Clock and Mouse Craft from DLTK’s Growing Together – Use recyclables and yarn to make this Hickory, Dickory Dock craft with kids.

Mess Free Spider Craft from No Time for Flash Cards – This mess-free, not-so-scary spider craft would be great for Little Miss Muffet or The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Loads of fun ideas to get you and the little ones rhyming and singing and playing with nursery rhymes – and your little ones will be all the stronger readers for it!

Can’t beat that.

I would finish with another homemade nursery rhyme, but I will spare you. JUST kidding…

The itsy bitsy toddler

learned rhymes inside and out

Down came the letters

In playful songs and shouts!

Out came the crafts

and the songs and rhymes began

And the itsy bitsy toddler

was ready to learn again!

And there you have it, my friends, the importance of nursery rhymes explained by nursery rhymes. Why? Hmmm… well, let me explain by rhyme… (just joshing!)

Hope you are having a lovely Monday!

Please be sure to simplify your days at home with your preschooler! 20 minutes of play a day is all it takes! Get your daily plan in Play into Kindergarten Readiness:

xo
Sarah