Abstract:
In 1953, UNESCO made a pronouncement that stressed the importance of educating children in
their mother language. Language is the vehicle that carries the folklore of a group of people
expressed in myriad form, basically embodying the culture, which is the way of life of its
speakers. Actually, language reflects the culture – beliefs and worldview of the folk that speak
it. Folklore includes the traditional elements of the way of life of a group of people and the
creative expressions developing naturally as part of this life. Examples of folklore include: folk
songs, dances, tales and the resultant activities from their beliefs. Folklore encompasses a
child’s heritage and all the groups associated with the child such as family, neighbourhood,
school, church, race, tribe and nationality. The most significant folklore to a child is that to
which the child has the closest ties and closely relates to their worldview. Folklore has also
been seen as a generic term that designates customs, beliefs, traditions, tales, magical practices
and proverbs; in short the accumulated knowledge of a homogeneous unsophisticated people
passed on through the generations by word of mouth. An emerging conceptualization of
folklore as expressed by some scholars incorporates riddles, chants, blessings, curses, oaths,
insults, retorts, taunts, teases, toasts, greeting, leave taking formulas, drama (mime), folk
medicine, names and nicknames among folklore. Language –especially one’s mother language
is the expression of both culture and the individuality of the speaker who perceives the world
through language. Expert opinion, as expressed through literature on the significance of
mother language notes that, it is the best and most natural means of self-expression. Therefore,
this paper explores the opportunities available to teachers in early years’ education (EYE) in
Kenya as an avenue for establishing a strong education system that considers the wholesome
education of a child by incorporating folklore personified in the mother language(s). This
discourse is advanced from the backdrop of the benefits accruing as significant for both the
personal development of the child and the larger society.
Keywords: Mother language, folklore, culture, early years’ education, child development
