Nursery rhymes help children expand their vocabulary with the catchy rhymes. Words that are similar to each other in sound are easier to remember and aid in the auditory memory skills of a child. One example of this skill is found in the rhyme "Hickory, Dickory, Dock" in which we hear the tale of a mouse who lives in a clock.
According to Bussongs.com, many nursery rhymes focus on teaching numbers. With a bouncing rhythm, a learning rhyme easily teach numbers. The best known is "This Old Man" also known as "Knick-Knack Paddy Wack" that counts to ten. Another familiar rhyme associated with counting is "The Ants Go Marching In."
Learning rhymes also develop a child's imagination with storytelling and play-acting. There are rhymes about families that live in a shoe and little boys who jump over candlesticks. There are rhymes about birds in pie and a little girl scared by a spider coming down beside her, playing on real and imagined fears.
Some learning rhymes are based in historical events. According to Bussongs.com, "Please Remember" is about the Guy Fawkes attempt to destroy the Houses of Parliament in London. "Ring Around The Rosie" came from the period of the Bubonic plague in England and Europe.