USAID’s Sisimpur project, the adored Bangladeshi version of Sesame Street, has launched an exciting initiative to share nursery rhymes with children. The project has produced 40 well-known Bengali nursery rhymes, presented by the beloved characters Halum, Tuktuki, Ikri, and Shiku.
This initiative will add a melodious twist to children’s learning experience. These new videos were produced with generous support from USAID/Bangladesh.
Most of the selected rhymes are sourced from pre-primary to second-grade textbooks to help encourage children to learn their educational rhymes with increased interest and joy. Additionally, the collection includes fun and popular rhymes beyond the textbooks, designed to foster creativity and imaginative thinking among children.
Among these 40 rhymes, there has been a collection of traditional Bengali rhymes and modern rhymes written by popular writers. Bengali rhymes like Hattima Tim Tim, Oi Dekha Jay Talgach, and Ata Gache Tota Pakhi are a part of the series. With the voices of Sisimpur characters, these rhymes turned into some melodious pieces children enjoy and remember.
Mohammad Shah Alam, Chief of the Party of USAID’s Sisimpur Project and the Managing Director of Sesame Workshop Bangladesh, highlighted the important role rhymes play in nurturing children's creativity and imagination.
He also narrated, "rhyming helps children develop their phonological skills, and learn new words, sentence structures and the beautiful rhythm of the Bengali language. With this in mind, our hope is that these videos will help make the learning process for our children more enjoyable and meaningful. Sisimpur also celebrated International Education Week through a social media campaign on Facebook publishing the rhymes, he added."
The videos have already started airing on Sisimpur's social media platforms. Additionally, the rhymes will be shared with children and parents through the Sisimpur app, and through Sisimpur’s school and community programs.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
