Nursery rhymes lose favor in Britain

LONDON, July 9 (UPI) -- A British survey suggests traditional nursery rhymes are going by the wayside in the country as parents show a preference for pop songs.

The survey of 1,200 British parents, conducted for preschool channel Cartoonito, found only 12 percent of respondents could recall three or more nursery rhymes in their entirety, The Daily Mail reported Monday.

Despite research suggesting that singing to young children assists in development and can give them a head start at school, 37 percent of parents polled said they rarely sing to their children. Only 28 percent of parents say they sing to their children "all the time."

Of the parents who sing to their children, 38 percent said they favor pop songs over traditional rhymes.

"Not only are nursery rhymes an important historical part of our culture, but by singing them to young children you can help speed up the development of their communication, memory, language and reading skills," said Janine Spencer, a development psychologist at Brunel University.

"It is also an entertaining and fun way to interact with your baby or toddler, and is crucial for recognizing and learning phonic sounds."