Is Humpty Dumpty really an egg? Did Ring a Ring o’ Roses start with the Great Plague? This Year 5 and Year 6 The Origins of Nursery Rhymes Teaching PowerPoint invites Upper Key Stage 2 pupils to look beyond the familiar words of well-known nursery rhymes and investigate the stories that have grown up around them.

Pupils explore how nursery rhymes were passed on by word of mouth before they were written down, and why this makes their origins so hard to pin down. Through Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, London Bridge is Falling Down and Ring a Ring o’ Roses, children compare popular interpretations with the historical evidence. Along the way, they learn why some famous theories don’t hold up under closer inspection.

Discussion questions throughout encourage pupils to think like historians: weighing up different interpretations, questioning sources and considering what other evidence could help them decide what’s true. Teacher notes include the full rhyme lyrics and discussion prompts. The resource finishes with a range of follow-up activities, including Rhyme Detective, Pass It On and Rhyme of Our Time.