
Throughout the Columbia Basin and Boundary regions there are Mother Goose programs for parents and caregivers with young children that include songs, rhymes and storytelling. By spending time with your baby, toddler or preschooler in the program, you'll discover a whole new world of joyful interaction. This program is a relaxed and social way to build on your parenting strengths and learn new ways of playing, soothing and having fun with your child.
You benefit by…
• Gaining confidence as a parent or caregiver
• Supporting your child’s development and learning
• Learning to use songs and rhymes to soothe, comfort and have fun with your child
• Developing a network of friends and learning about community program and resources
Your child benefits by…
• Increasing language, pre-literacy and cognitive skills
• Enhancing confidence and self-esteem
• Developing social skills
Together, you’ll be…
• Learning a repertoire of rhymes, songs and stories to enjoy together
• Strengthening you parent-child bond
• Establishing a healthy relationship to last a lifetime
Here is one of the favorite songs at our Mother Goose programs:
ROLY POLY (To the tune of “Frère Jacques”)
Roly poly, roly poly, (make hands into fists and roll in circular movements)
Up, up, up (reach hands to ceiling)
Up, up, up (reach hands to ceiling)
Roly roly poly, roly roly poly (move fists into circular motions)
Down, down, down (move hands to floor)
Down, down, down (move hands to floor)
Roly poly, roly poly (move hands in circles)
Out, out, out (move hands outwards)
Out, out, out (move hands outwards)
Roly roly poly, roly roly poly (circular motions)
In, in, in (move hands inwards)
In, in, in (move hands inwards)
During each session of Mother Goose, a question of the day is asked and participants are welcome to share their thoughts. When asked how the rhymes and songs were used in the home, one parent responded by saying, “The lullabies are helpful when my daughter is tired and needs help settling. I am very grateful for this program. My daughter loves the action song, ‘Zoom, Zoom, Zoom’.”
To find a CBAL Mother Goose program in your community, please go to http://www.cbal.org/ . If you are looking to learn more about music and young children, or are looking for ideas on how to incorporate music into your child’s daily life, the Decoda Literacy Solutions website has a wonderful resource called, Tune into Music, available for parents.
Happy singing, rhyming and storytelling!
Alana Murdoch
Community Literacy Coordinator – Castlegar
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy