This paper discusses the use of malešnice, i.e. nursery rhymes in English, as an incentive in learning and their impact on the language and speech development of preschool children. Speech is a basic means of communication between people. In order to well adopt and develop speech and language, it is necessary to provide an adequate environment for the development of the child's possibilities. One of the best means of introducing a child into speech and encouraging his or her quality adoption are children's nursery rhymes. Nursery rhymes are folk children's songs that develop in all nations. They are the first poetic texts that children encounter in childhood and most often occur when parents and children meet. Their main function is to connect with the game in which the child actively participates and they includes words and movement in themselves. Nursery rhymes affect all aspects of the child's development; emotional, motor, visual (eye-hand coordination), cognitive, neuropsychological and speech, therefore it is important to start using them at a very early age. The first chapter "Learning children of preschool age" discusses the importance of early learning for the overall development of the child. The second chapter "Language - speech development of the child" deals with the consideration of the importance of communication for the development of the child, factors affecting language - speech development and the stages of speech development in children. The third chapter "Songs in Preschool" explains the types of songs for children. The fourth chapter "Nursery rhymes in children's literature" lists the division of the nursery rhymes in Croatian literature and their advantages in different fields. The influence of the nursery rhymes on different aspects of the child's development is also discussed. At the end of the chapter, it is explained which nursery rhymes are suitable for a particular age of the child and they are given examples of nursery rhymes with ways of performing them. The last chapter "Activities on the topic of nursery rhymes" mentioned three examples of nursery rhymes for different ages of children and explained possible activities that can be carried out with children at or after their treatment.