Counting book as a genre of playful children's folklore
The counting table is a type of Russian gaming folklore. The first scientific work that paid close attention to this particular genre was the monograph “Russian Children's Folklore” published in 1930. Its author is Doctor of Philology G.S. Vinogradov. It contains more than 500 counting rhymes.
In 1989, the collection of folklorist A. N. Martynova, “Rhymes, Counting Countries, Fables,” was published, which is considered the most complete publication of these genres . In addition, counting rhymes can be found in the following publications:
- “Children's counting rhymes. Set for mom." 2010
- “A suitcase floated on the sea”, 2015
- “I went out for a walk for a month.” 2009
Counting books remain a popular genre in children's books today.
The distinctive features of the counting rhymes are:
- Practical applicability. Counting tables have a clear task: with their help, they choose the driver of the game, distribute roles or players among teams.
- Rhythm. If there is no rhythm in the counting rhyme, it will be very difficult to divide it into words or syllables, and the child reading it will get confused .
- Rhyming. Counting books in poetic form are easier to remember, and this was a definite plus in those days when books were not available to everyone.
- Brevity, information richness. It is these qualities that make the reading room a valuable material for broadening the horizons of children, familiarizing themselves with folk traditions and foundations.
The child gets acquainted with the first counting rhymes by counting his own fingers.
