Investigation of Music and Rhyme Activities in Early Literacy Development in Delta State

Music and rhyme activities engage children's phonological sensitivity and language rhythm in ways that support early literacy acquisition, and examining their systematic use in Delta State pre-primary schools contributes to evidence-based practice for South South Nigeria. This study investigated the role of structured music and rhyme activities in early literacy development among children aged 3 to 5 years in Warri South, Ughelli North, and Asaba government nursery schools, Delta State. A quasi-experimental design compared pre- and post-intervention literacy indicators between 100 children receiving daily 20-minute structured music-and-rhyme sessions and 100 controls receiving standard instruction over 10 weeks. Literacy indicators included phonological awareness, print motivation, and vocabulary. The music-and-rhyme group showed significantly greater phonological awareness gains (p < 0.001) and higher print motivation scores post-intervention. Children who received songs in their mother tongue showed the highest phonological gains. Teacher observations noted increased eagerness to participate in literacy activities in the intervention group. Girls and boys benefited comparably. The study concludes that music and rhyme integration is a cost-effective early literacy support strategy. Recommendations include incorporating daily music-and-rhyme sessions into the Delta State pre-primary curriculum framework, compiling a multilingual nursery rhyme resource in Delta languages, and providing professional development in musical literacy facilitation for pre-primary teachers. Keywords: music and rhyme, early literacy, pre-primary schools, Delta State, phonological awareness