Pre-writers Club: Miss Polly had a Dolly

Literacy - Reading (30-50 months): Listens to and joins in with stories and poems, one-to-one and also in small groups.

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What you could use:

Benji had never heard this nursery rhyme so we asked Alexa to play it. We used red stickers (linked below) to make the doll look poorly. We talked about chicken pox and how the baby might be feeling.

We pretended to call the doctor. Benji dressed up in a doctor's coat and knocked at the door with a rat-a-tat-tat!

He check the baby over and gave her some medicine. We sang the song again and acted out the different parts. Benji shook his head and Sophie put the baby back to bed. Benji used the paper and a pen to write down what was wrong with the baby.

We played for a while taking it in turns to play the different parts. We tried changing the lyrics e.g. Benji had a baby who was sick, sick, sick.

This nursery rhyme has rhythm and rhyming words. Start by singing the rhyme slowly to emphasise the rhyming patterns. Listening to the rhyming words helps children to develop and ear language. It will help them to develop the skills needed to hear sounds and syllables in words which will help children to read and write.

Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick
 So she called for the doctor to come quick, quick, quick
 The doctor came with his bag and his hat
 And he knocked at the door with a rat-a-tat-tat.

 He looked at the dolly and he shook his head
 And he said, "Miss Polly, put her straight to bed"
 He wrote on a paper for a pill, pill, pill
 I'll be back in the morning if the baby's still ill.

If you have a go at this activity and share any photos on social media I would love to see them. Please tag @miniwritersclub and let me know how you get on.

Anna

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