This tongue twister will be a favourite among children. She Sells Seashells is a classic English rhyme with confusing pronunciations that can leave everyone rolling on the floor laughing. Memorising this rhyme is easy, as it tells a very simple story. However, what’s tricky is being able to pronounce each of the words in the correct order.
A tongue twister is a sequence of words or sounds, typically of an alliterative kind, that are difficult to pronounce quickly and correctly. There are several such lines, poems and songs that are very interesting and can get hilarious to recite with their confusing pronunciations.
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A good practice in vocabulary, phonics and diction, this rhyme also improves memory, concentration and alertness in kids. It also serves as a fun ice-breaker. So let’s learn the song She Sells Seashells below.
Lyrics Of The Rhyme She Sells Seashells
Original Lyrics of She Sells Seashells
She sells seashells by the seashore,
The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.
So if she sells seashells on the seashore,
Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.
Modern elaborate version
Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
She sells seashells on the seashell shore.
The seashells she sells are seashore shells,
Of that I’m sure.
She sells seashells by the seashore.
She hopes she will sell all her seashells soon.
If neither he sells seashells
Nor she sells seashells,
Who shall sell seashells?
Shall seashells be sold?
What Will Your Child Learn From The Rhyme She Sells Seashells?
Children will learn this really fun tongue twister… on the condition that they are able to memorise it perfectly! Learning tongue twisters is a great way to improve focus and learn new words. It also helps kids understand concepts of phonics, where they get an opportunity to practice their pronunciation skills. Children will learn about homonyms, which are words that sound similar but have different meanings, like shore and sure. Little kids who have visited sea destinations or live in the coastal areas would already know what seashells are, however for many kids this might be a new way of learning about these fascinating things found on beaches.
Theme Of The Nursery Rhyme She Sells Seashells
This poem talks about a girl who is making some money by selling sea shells. The narrator of the rhyme ponders that since the girl is selling these shells by the shore, it is likely that she has collected them from the beach.
Rhyming Scheme Of She Sells Seashells
The rhyming pattern in this poem is AAAB. The alliteration used in the rhyme also makes for a fun poetic effect and a funny tongue twister.
Words That Your Child Will Learn
Children may be familiar with nouns like ‘sea’ and ‘shells’, however, through this song, children will pay attention to the similarity in the sounds of these words, ensuring that they learn to practice each of these words correctly.
Children may be confused in the pronunciations of the following words:
- Sea and She
- Sells and Shells
- Shore and Sure
Suggested Activities
You can engage your child in these activities to make this rhyme all the more exciting.
1. Say It Fast 5 Times
- Ask your child to memorise the rhyme entirely.
- Once they know the words by heart, ask them to speak it fast, without looking.
- Now, ask them to speak it quickly, repeating it five times.
- You can make this a competition where whoever errs first loses.
- Not just for kids, this is a challenging activity for adults too!
2. Collect Seashells
- What a fun day out on the beach it would be!
- Ask your kids to collect some seashells from the beach.
- They can also pretend to be seashell sellers.
3. Seashell Scrapbook
- Does your child love going to the beach? Remind them to collect some small seashells from every trip to the beach and bring them back home.
- Ask them to create a scrapbook, where they can paste all the shells they collected from one beach on one page.
- They can paste them randomly, in a particular shape, or even spell out the name of the place from where the shell was collected.
- Ask them to write a few lines about their day on the page.
- This will make for a wonderful souvenir of their fun trips.
FAQ
Is The Rhyme She Sells Seashells Based On A Real Person?
She sells seashells on the sea shore is believed to have been inspired by Mary Anning, well-regarded in the world of Palaeontology. She lived in Dorset and collected shells and fossils from the beach. She sold these to make a living, and eventually, she could identify all the various species of seashells. In 1811, she discovered some fossils on a cliff by the sea, which was identified as the remains of a dinosaur. This caused excitement in the scientific world. She later discovered several more prehistoric specimens and has been credited by modern scientists as the founder of Modern Palaeontology.
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