Des comptines, or nursery rhymes, are traditional rhymes, poetry, or songs. They are simple and often repetitive. Some can be dated back to the 16th and 17th centuries. They will often tell a story. Nursery rhymes can be similar to those found in other countries and languages. However, even with these similarities there are often small or large differences between them. Because of the simplicity of des comptines, they are useful in learning language as well as language rhythm or prosody.