Kids enjoy singing and reading nursery rhymes. They enjoy acting them and teachers enjoy using nursery rhymes to teach their students. Rhymes are simple and help students improve their linguistic and memory skills. They also contribute to children’s spatial and musical skills. Some nursery rhymes have a moral lesson, and for others the meaning is not so clear, but they are truly comical.

Here are 45 popular nursery rhymes over the years, their origins and their meanings. There are more, but this selection will be enjoyable for both children and their teachers.