Nursrey rhymes in Maltese

On Reading Nursery Rhymes With Children

These Maltese nursery rhymes are designed for children who are learning how to read Maltese. Preschoolers and Kindergartners enjoy picking out the words they can read in their favorite nursery rhymes.
All children take great delight in the rhythms and melodies of tunes. Remember, your singing voice doesn't matter -- even a jolly rhythmic chant will do, if you are hoarse. The emphasis on the melody and rhythm also helps the child learn the rhyme, increasing their vocabulary, and verbal skills. Even very young children will also imitate the songs, and have favorites they ask for. I have heard children as young as a year and a half trying to sing their favorite nursery rhymes.
Ages 0-5
Few Suggestions:
1. If it mentions a body part, touch it, shake it, wiggle it, tickle it, ...
2. If you see a picture of the word you are saying, point it out.
3. If there is an action mentioned, mimic it.
4. Sing whenever possible.
Ages 5-10
Children this age often know many of the rhymes by heart, and are comforted by the familiarity, but aren't aware of some the additional levels of information in the rhymes. It is good to particularly focus on counting rhymes and alphabet rhymes, and use them as an avenue to begin the learning process for these basic skills.
Other ways to use rhymes to enhance learning is with the Questions and Answers method. Naturally, if the child asks you questions about why, what, who, how or why (children this age are often still not too aware of "when"), the parent can use these questions as a leaping-off point for enhanced discussions.
If the child doesn't seem to ask questions themselves, you can encourage exploration and start the process of teaching critical thinking and reading by starting to ask questions of the child.
Good questions to start with are:

• "What do you think is happening here?"
• "Why do you think that happened?"
• "Why did they do that?"
• "Would you like to know more about [blank]?"

(something that is happening in the rhyme -- going to school or playing in the garden ... )
This is a good age to start working with riddles and puzzle questions. Often the younger child simply picks up on the sound of the rhyme, and won't fully appreciate some of the wonderful riddles. Older children can also delight in these, so long as they are new to them and their friends.
This is only a small collection of Maltese nursery rhymes. Please send me any other rhymes you know of and we publish them here to share them with others.
Thank you - Frank L Scicluna - Australia 2001 - frank@txc.net.au

IL-FESTIN Kien hemm wahda mara l-Imdina li ghamlet festin f'gheluq sninha, irnma hbieb ma stidnitx ghax nies ma riditx u stiednet sittax-il xadina.     KAMILLA Naf mara jisimha Kamilla li mliet is-saqqu bis-silla 'mma zewgha ma riedx ghax qal li dak hmieg u mlietu minflok bil-bigilla.

IL-QAQOCC Naf mara li thobb il-qaqocc tnax tiekol kull kwarta bl-arlogg, u biex ma tahlix il-qxur ma tarmix imma thithom u taghmel papocc.     IZ-ZALZETT Hawn ragel, qrajt darba f'gazzetta li jiekol kuljum elf zalzetta, u mbaghad xarba nbid u jorqod mhux ftit, u jonhor bil-hoss ta' trumbetta.