Chi Luu writing for JSTOR Daily:
Through the medium of playground games and the seemingly harmless nursery rhymes and nonsensical wordplay that children delight in, a grim and unsettling depiction of the world endures.
What can we learn during the pandemic from the language of children's rhymes and games? How children see and reenact in their games the issue of pandemic, social distancing, and adult anxieties? What is "cooties" and what is "Ring-a-Ring a Rosy" about?
It’s hard to believe the cooties and nursery rhymes of your childhood can reveal so much about the world. Even under lockdown, with schools closed, it’s children’s linguistic nonsense and playfulness that may not be fully understood, that allow children to keep learning and exploring the deepest corners of the world.
Find out more on JSTOR Daily.
