Lullabies When you sing lullabies, your child is soothed by the softness of your voice and your child is comforted by being gently rocked. Lullabies are a good place to start. They soothe babies all around the world. These are Turkish lullabies Ninni ninni ninni e ninni uyusunda buyusun ninni tipis tipis yurusun ninni eeeee. Ben kizima gul demem gulun omru az olur ninni eeeeee uyusun da buyusun ninni eeeeee Uyu yavrum uyu ninni soyleyim sana susun kuslar otmeyin yavrum uyanmasin . And this is a very old English lullaby Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop When the wind blows, the cradle will rock When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall And down will come baby, cradle and all Baby is drowsing, cosy and fair Mother sits near, in her rocking chair Forward and back, the cradle she swings And though baby sleeps, he hears what she sings From the high rooftops, down to the sea No one’s as dear, as baby to me Wee little fingers, eyes wide and bright Now sound asleep, until morning light Do you remember lullabies from your childhood? Nursery rhymes Nursery rhymes help children to listen to different sounds and notice the ones that rhyme. Here is one of the favourites from the Caribbean. Gran’ma, gran’ma sick in bed She call for the doctor. The doctor said, Gran’ma gran’ma you ain’t sick; All you need is a walkin’ stick! Shake, shake, shake, shake, Shakety, shake! Shake, shake, shake, shake, Shakety shake! To the front, to the back, To the suh, suh side. To the front, to the back, To the suh, suh side. How many rhymes can you remember from your childhood? Story telling Story telling helps children to learn about their history and traditions. Parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents can tell children stories from their own childhood. Here is a Swahili story. Tortoise and rabbit were very good friends. One day, tortoise invited rabbit and cooked a delicious meal. He then told the rabbit that he can only share it if he hides his whole body plus his head inside his fur. The rabbit tried and tried but could not. But the tortoise hid his in his shell and so ate all the food by himself. hands but when he came back rabbit said they were not clean because he had used them while walking back and they were sandy. Tortoise went back a few times, but every time he got sand on them. Rabbit went to wash his hands and hopped back with clean hands and ate all the food by himself.  The rabbit was very angry and on the second day he invited tortoise and cooked a very delicious meal. He told tortoise that he can only share it, if he washed his hands down in the river. Tortoise went to the river to wash his Perhaps you can remember a story told to you when you were a child? Favourite books Children of all ages enjoy being read to and following stories in books. This helps them to get ready to read. Enjoyment of books and stories is the most important thing in learning to read. Here are some of Hackney children’s favourite books: Peepo The Gingerbread Man The Billy Goats Gruff Where the Wild Things Are us B The Little School Little Rabbit Foo Foo So Much The Owl and the Pussycat Dear Zoo Gruffalo Walking Through the Jungle Where to get books Free books are available from your national Bookstart scheme. Contact Dawn Hendrickson, Hackney Libraries on 020 8356 5237. Hackney Libraries: Clapton Library Northwold Rd E5 8RA 020 8356 2570 Shoreditch Library 80 Hoxton St N1 6LP 020 8356 4536 CLR James Library 24-30 Dalston Lane E8 3AZ 020 8356 1665 Homerton Library Homerton High St E9 6AS 020 8356 1690 Hackney Central Library 1 Reading Lane E8 1GQ 020 8356 1690 Stoke Newington Library Church St N16 0JS 020 8356 5230/5231 Stamford Hill Library Portland Ave N16 6SB 020 8356 2573 Parents and caring adults play an essential part in giving their child a love of reading. We recognise that Hackney parents have a wide range of rich and diverse experiences and we want to celebrate these. This leaflet is about using your lullabies, nursery rhymes and stories to help children read. Each section will take you through a series of stories, favourite books, lullabies and nursery rhymes collected from parents across Hackney. All can be shared with your child. Do you have stories to share with other parents? Help Get Hackney Reading again by sharing your stories with parents across Hackney. We are collecting lullabies, stories and nursery rhymes that you may have listened to when you were young. Please contact Linden Children’s Centre on 020 7254 9939. What can you do next? We thought about all the ways we could help children to read. Here are some of our ideas •Sing lullabies to your child from the earliest age •Help your child to learn nursery rhymes •Get grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to tell stories from their childhood •Encourage your child to make up stories •Encourage your child’s imagination by playing with puppets and dressing up clothes. •Read to your child •Share books with your child that helps them understand about the world Once upon a time in Hackney... Using your experiences to get your child ready to read •Help your child to read the signs they see around them like “Bus Stop” and the “stopping” sign when they ring the bell on the bus. •Borrow books and find out about story times at the local library •Give your child the chance to listen to stories in the language you use at home And all the children in Hackney sang lullabies, told rhymes and stories and they all read happily ever after. Thank yous: A major thank you to the staff, families and children of Hillside, Linden, Fernbank, and Clapton Park Children’s Centres for sharing their stories and rhymes. www.learningtrust.co.uk/childcare