For many, the first experience of music was the parental humming and soothing words sung to babies. Comforting kids with songs seems to be a trait that many people have and everyone benefits from it.
This tendency to sing to your little ones is likely the root of all the nursery rhymes that we know and love. Nursery rhymes today are about everything from shapes, colors and numbers to short stories and popular tunes.
What are Nursery Rhymes?
Nursery songs or rhymes are any short song or verse that is meant to be sung to, by or with young children. They have played an important role in the rearing of young children for generations and are a great way to help them learn. It’s also a great way to build fun memories with them!
Nursery rhymes help develop and grow the parts of the brain that lead to learning how to speak, read, and write which makes them a fantastic pastime for you and your youngsters. They’ve also been proven to help with motor function, cognition, and socio-emotional skills.
It’s for these reasons that at Cali’s Books we make nursery rhymes are available completely free for download on our site. Get access to 100+ nursery rhymes to enjoy with your kids!
Where to Download Free Nursery Rhymes
The internet has made finding and enjoying nursery rhymes much easier. A lot of things can now be downloaded and carried around on your phone, ready to be used anytime.
Finding the right places to watch and listen to nursery rhymes can sometimes be challenging. Luckily, there are some great sites where parents can go to enjoy nursery rhymes with their kids and download them for later.
YouTube
A quick search for “nursery rhymes YouTube free download” will take you directly to one of the main sources on the internet. YouTube Kids has so many different types of nursery rhymes available, it can be hard to wrap your head around them.
There are entire channels dedicated to nursery rhymes and kid’s content, with new shows and channels popping up every day. Unfortunately, with YouTube, there are ads (unless you pay for the premium version) and some parents have concerns about the appropriateness of some of the kid’s content available on YouTube.
Spotify
Spotify is another great option for nursery rhymes with a catalogue of inexhaustible options, in all different languages and all on an easily downloadable app. This app can give you access to many of these songs for free but as with YouTube (with the free version), you will encounter ads while listening. For some parents, this may not be a concern but for others, this can be a deal breaker.
Cali’s Books
Cali’s Books provides an amazing option for parents who are looking to download nursery rhymes for their kids without having to deal with ads. They can also be comforted by the fact that Cali’s Books is dedicated to the education and entertainment of kids, offering books and materials on top of nursery rhyme downloads.
If you’re a parent and want to take advantage of the easily accessible songs available at Cali’s Books, here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:
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Browse through our collection of free songs and music. You can find classic nursery rhymes, popular children's songs, and other engaging tunes.
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Pick what you like and click on the "Download" button. A pop-up window will appear asking for your name and email address.
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Enter your name and email in the pop-up window and hit the "Continue" button.
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You will be redirected to a new view where you can click on the "Download" button to access your free songs. They will be downloaded to your computer or smartphone.
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You will also receive an email with a download link to the email address you provided. Check your inbox or spam folder if you don't see the email right away.
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Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the free music with your little ones! You can play the songs on any device that supports MP3 files, including smartphones, tablets, and computers.
- By downloading our free songs and music, you'll also receive useful information and offers, with the option to unsubscribe at any time. So, stay tuned for new offers and useful tips for parents and kids alike!
Using Nursery Rhymes Creatively with Your Kids
One of the best parts of being a parent is getting to see your kids use their creativity to express themselves. This can be a song, a dance, a sing-along, a play, or any other number of creative outlets that kids do so well. Nursery rhymes have such a wide range of topics and types that you can find all sorts of ways to enjoy them with your kids.
Act Them Out
Since nursery rhymes sometimes contain stories, such as “If You’re Happy and You Know it” or “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes”, you can practice and act them out.
Draw Them
As kids learn and memorize the tunes, they can begin to include them into their drawings. How about painting animals from “Five Little Ducks”? Kids can learn to count and have fun at the same time!
Take Turns Singing and Dancing
Watching children sing and dance without a care in the world is a joy for all parents. Use these nursery rhymes to dance and sing with your kids, maybe even inventing special dance moves for each song.
Use Toys or Puppets to Sing With
With toddlers, there’s often a favorite toy or teddy that tags along with them throughout the day. Use these toys as extra performers in your nursery rhymes, even using them to act out the stories or as a model that can help them count or point out colors.
Popular Nursery Rhymes Available for Free Download
At Cali’s Books, we also have numerous categories so you can find the perfect match to the age or interests of your kids.
Animal Nursery Rhymes
Most kids fall in love with animals when they are young, which makes animal-themed nursery rhymes perfect to catch and hold their attention.
Color Nursery Rhymes
Color plays such an important role in our experience as humans that learning about them is something kids do naturally. We help this along with color-themed nursery rhymes, teaching them the different names and shades of the colors they encounter every day.
Counting Nursery Rhymes
Some of the most popular nursery rhymes (free downloads here) are centered around counting and numbers. Kids also naturally begin trying to understand the concept of numbers and counting and these songs enable them to begin their counting and numbers journey in a fun and exciting way.
The most popular nursery rhymes for children are free for download on our site, giving parents the option to pick the exciting tunes available. What kind of nursery rhymes are available at Cali’s Books?
Jingle Bells
It brings to mind Christmas trees, presents and the feeling of being surrounded by family. The nursery rhymes of “Jingle Bells” are available for free download, giving you plenty of Christmas vibes all year round. You’ll have “Jingle Bells all the way…” no matter where you go.
Five Little Ducks
This fun nursery rhyme helps kids count, teaches lessons about listening to their mother and has a jaunty tune the whole family can enjoy.
Humpty Dumpty
The classic “Humpty Dumpty” is another of the most popular nursery rhymes for free download at Cali’s Books because of its simple rhymes and well-known story. It is also a great way to teach lessons about being careful and how some things, once they are broken, can’t really be put back together again.
Hush Little Baby
“Hush Little Baby” is probably the oldest of the nursery rhymes as some form of this song goes back to when mothers first learnt to soothe their babies with songs. Kids love this song and it is a helpful tool to use to get kids to bed.
Love Nursery Rhymes
Help teach your kids new ways to express their love in words! These “Love” nursery rhymes for children (free audio at Cali’s Books) showcase new words and phrases to express love.
Thank You Nursery Rhymes
Manners are crucial and the “Thank You” nursery rhymes are a fantastic way to begin the process of showing kids how to be appreciative by saying thank you. There is no time too early to begin teaching these crucial life lessons.
Nursery Rhymes in Different Languages
Our site also includes nursery rhymes in different languages! Enjoy songs in your native tongue or broaden the scope of your kids’ exposure to different cultures. Kids are particularly adept at picking up on new languages and by starting out with nursery rhymes, you're putting them on a path to a multi-lingual or culturally diverse future.
- Greek
- French
- Spanish
- Chinese
- Portuguese
- And more!
Free Downloadable Nursery Rhymes
The benefits of using nursery rhymes with your kids are numerous and give you plenty of opportunities to have fun and make good memories with them. Get onboard and use cost-free tools to help develop and grow your children’s creativity and imagination.