Teach rhyming words

5 Ways to Teach Rhyming (+ Free Printable Downloads)

by Marie Rippel

Did you know that rhyming is one of the best predictors of how easily a child will learn to read? That’s because good rhymers are better equipped to notice that rhyming words often have shared letter sequences, such as –all in tall, ball, and small, which in turn gives them a considerable head start in learning to read.

What Is Rhyming?

That may seem like a silly question, but it can be difficult to explain the concept of rhyming to a child who just doesn’t “get it.” Here’s a simple definition. When two words sound the same at the end, like duck and truck, they rhyme.

Most children enjoy hearing and participating in rhyming activities, and when they are exposed to rhyming, they usually pick it up naturally. But if your child isn’t good at rhyming yet, don’t worry! There are many things you can do to help.

Does Your Child Know How to Rhyme?

Use this simple test to find out whether your child knows how to rhyme. If your child needs help in this critical area, read on to discover how to teach your child to recognize and produce rhyme.

Three Stages of Rhyming Ability

It’s helpful to know that children don’t just start off rhyming. In fact, they generally go through three stages. In the order of easiest to hardest, those stages are:

Hearing and recognizing rhyme are important skills your child must master before he can produce rhyme, so be sure to focus on these skills first. Modeling can be a great way to help your child hear rhyme.

Here’s an example of modeling: “Duck and truck rhyme! They both end with uck! Say it with me: uck-uck, duck, truck!”

But hearing rhyme is just the beginning. The activities below were designed to help you teach your child all three stages of rhyming!

5 Simple Ways to Teach Rhyming

Read rhyming picture books together.

There are hundreds of great rhyming books, and this Rhyming Picture Books Library List is a good place to start. As you read, occasionally point out words that rhyme. (“Oh, goat and boat rhyme! They sound the same at the end. Goat, boat.”)

Play “Get Out of the Wagon” with your child.

“Get Out of the Wagon” is a popular Stage 2 rhyming game. In this downloadable activity, three word cards—like rake, cake, and king—are placed in a wagon. The child determines which word doesn’t rhyme and tells it to “get out of the wagon.”

Share nursery rhymes with your child.

Nursery rhymes are conducive to reciting again and again. After your child knows the nursery rhymes, let him fill in the rhyming words to work on Stage 2. On this downloadable library list, you’ll find some wonderful nursery rhyme collections to enjoy together.

Play “What’s in My Bag?” with your child.

Once your child can successfully recognize rhymes, this activity will help him learn to produce rhymes (a Stage 3 skill). Just fill a bag with several common household items (here are some ideas) and you’re ready to play “What’s in My Bag?”

Play “Dinner Time” with the whole family.

For more advanced Stage 3 rhyming, download this fun “Dinner Time” game. But make sure to play “Dinner Time” with the whole family. It’s guaranteed to provide lots of giggles for kids and parents alike!

The Bottom Line on Teaching Rhyming to Your Child

Rhyming is an important pre-reading skill that reaps dividends later on.
The ability to rhyme occurs in three unique stages.
Use books, games, and engaging activities to promote rhyming ability. We make it easy by including hands-on activities throughout our Pre-reading program, and we continue to reinforce rhyming throughout the All About Reading program.

It may not happen overnight, but with repeated exposure, your child will learn to rhyme. Most importantly, keep your rhyming practice fun and light—it shouldn’t feel like a “lesson” to a young child.

Is there a rhyming activity that your child enjoys? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

_________________________
Photo credit: Rachel Neumann

How to Teach Rhyming - Structured Literacy

Rhyming is an important first step in the reading development for children. When a child learns to rhyme, they learn to focus on how language works. They also begin to notice all the individual sounds within each word.

If your child knows that jig and pig rhyme, then they are focused on the ending ig but also that the j and p are different sounds.

Because rhyming skills are significant predictors of children’s later success in learning to read, every effort should be made to give young children the opportunity to develop these rhyming skills. (Majsterek, Shorr, & Erion, 2000; Mitchell & Fox, 2001). Here are some strategies and activities on how to teach rhyming to your children so that they will have the opportunity to develop strong reading development skills.

You can begin teaching rhyming by asking your child to identify and practice rhymes by manipulating, adding, deleting, or substituting sounds in words. Some examples of doing this are:

“Tell me all the words you know that rhyme with the word “hat.”

“Close your eyes. I am going to say 2 words. If they rhyme, raise your hand. If they don’t shake your head.”

“Say the word hat. Good. Say the word hat again, but change the /h/ to /b/.” (bat)

“Listen to these words – mop, plop, flop, tag. Which of these does not rhyme?”

“Can you finish my sentence for me. The cat sat on the _______.”

Use Letter Tiles

Use Letter Tiles to build rhyming words from the same family by placing the letter tiles for the ending sound in a row and stacking beginning letter tiles to make different words.

Use Beanbags

You will say a word (e.g., hat). You will then pass a beanbag (or anything else that is soft) to the child. The child will think of a word that rhymes with hat, say the word aloud and then pass the beanbag back to you.

The game continues with the beanbag being passed back and forth until you and the child can not think of any more rhyming words.

At that point, whoever is holding the beanbag begins the game with a new word.

Use Building Blocks

Write beginning letters and sounds on building blocks (or legos) and ending sounds on longer blocks. Let the kiddos build rhyming words.

You can watch this video to get an idea of how to use legos and building blocks for rhyming words:

You can practice rhyming with your child by reading stories and poems that use a lot of rhymes aloud together.

As you read, begin drawing attention to the sounds of the rhyme. For example you can say, “I hear rhyming words… dog and bog rhyme!”

You can also ask your child to predict the next word in the rhyming story (they love doing that). “The hog sat on the _______.”

As you read these rhyming books aloud, you will want to really exaggerate the sound of the rhyming words.

My Top Favorite Rhyming Books:

Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Four Fur Feet by Margaret Wise Brown

Moose on the Loose by C.P. Ochs

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

I Swapped My Dog by Harriet Zeifert

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks

A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

The Flea’s Sneeze by Karla Firehammer

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? By Nancy White Carlstrom

Make Your Own Rhyme Book

You can also have your child create their own Rhyme Book! Create the book with five blank pages. Have your child draw pictures of objects that rhyme or cut out rhyming pictures. Then bind the pages into a personal rhyming book.

Another option is that if you don’t want to make a book…you can make a collage with pictures of objects that rhyme with one another.

Singing rhyming songs and rhyming chants is another great way to teach rhyming. Singing is so easy to fit into your daily schedule, as you can basically break out in song or chant any time of the day and it is so much fun to sing!

Before Bed:

“Twinkle, twinkle little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle little star,

How I wonder what you are.”

During Cleanup:

“Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere.

Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share.”

In the Garden:

“One little flower, one little bee.

One little blue bird, high in the tree.

One little brown bear smiling at me.

One is the number I like,

You see.”

I Have a Resource For You!

Thank you so much for reading my post on rhyming today. You might also enjoy reading my previous posts:

How to Teach Letters and Sounds Correctly

How I Help with b/d Letter Reversal

How to Teach Beginning Blending in Reading

Please don’t leave without checking out the PRIDE Reading Program. The PRIDE Reading Program is an Orton-Gillingham curriculum that is used by teachers, tutors, and homeschooling parents worldwide with great success.

PRIDE Reading Program

Does your child have a favorite rhyming activity? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear about it.

Game rhymes

Sergeeva T.V.

Chain rhyme
GOALS

Teach children to answer with a word consonant with the one named.

Learn to feel the rhythm, rhyme.

Teacher
Guys, let's play soon.
We will choose different words!
Say any words, okay?
But only such that it turns out ...
(smoothly).
What words similar in sound can be found for the word bird?
Children. Titmouse, small, singer.
Teacher. Speaking of bunny?
Children. Know-it-all, dunno, runaway, jumper, runaway.
Teacher. Speaking of cat?
Children. Spoon, bowl, basket, accordion, midge, potato, window, leg, earring, matryoshka.
Teacher. Speaking of mouse?
Children. A bump, a puff, a puff.
Teacher. Speaking of cancer?
Children. Poppy, tank, varnish, like.
Variant
The teacher throws the ball and pronounces a word, the one who catches the ball answers with a word consonant with the name.
Stove - sheep, river.
Birdie - titmouse.
Magpie - white-sided.
Bunny - runaway.
Find a pair
GOALS

To teach children to match words that are similar and different in sound-rhythmic structure.
Develop visual memory.

Teacher. Connect the words of the two columns so that you get a rhyme.
Edge Grass
Firewood Scallop
Herringbone Hut
Cockerel Needle
White-sided Fox
Bunny Cornflower
Magpie Sister
Titmouse Flower
Cowardly Bird
Variant
Picture words can be suggested. Children find a picture that is similar in sound-rhythmic structure.
Game with pictures
OBJECTIVES

Teach children to choose a rhyme for the word - the name of the picture.
Develop language flair.

First you need to prepare cards with pictures from which you can make rhyming words, for example, a picture of a pipe, another picture of a sponge. All pictures are located on a large table or on a carpet on the floor. Children distribute them in rhymes. For example, near the picture of a river there is a picture of a stove, a donkey is a goat, a cat is a spoon, a watering can is a snake, etc.
Options
1. One child takes a picture, the other finds a picture with a rhyming word. Both say their words out loud. The group repeats.
2. Place pictures face down. Open one picture and say the corresponding word out loud. Whoever can name the rhyming word gets a picture and can open the next one.
3. One picture is opened. All children draw an object called a rhyming word. Here the solution is represented by a figure.
Say a word
OBJECTIVES

Teach children to write their own rhyming lines.

Teacher. You already know how to pick up rhyming words. Today we will try to make suggestions.
Where were you, squirrel, walking?
Children
I collected nuts.
Teacher
The squirrel jumped fast,
Children
Lost all the nuts.
Teacher
Whom did you find, hedgehog?
Children
I brought a squirrel to you.
Teacher
Yesterday we played in the forest,
Children
We saw a huge mushroom.
Teacher
A fungus stood aside,
Children
The hedgehog couldn't find it.
Teacher
Like a little hedgehog
Children
Shoes have become torn.
Teacher
And our squirrel
Children
Clean plates.
We are poets
OBJECTIVES

To teach children to compose quatrains that contain a whole story.

Teacher
The teacher says to Paraska:
“What fairy tales have you read?”
Paraska thinks, "Oh,
I haven't read any!"
And behind someone whispers:
"Turnip!"
Paraska yelled: "Cap!"
Today we will also come up with funny poems. What or who do you want to write about?
Children answer.
Let's talk about the cat, let's support Serezha. I will write down what you tell me, and then I will read out what we have done.
Children come up with unexpected situations with a cat by rhyming words.
Children. The cat sat on the window. The cat saw a midge. The cat took a basket and went for potatoes. The cat sat on the window and dangled its legs. The cat put all the spoons in a basket.
Council. The most important thing is not to leave the words of children without attention. And for each word come up with a rhyme.
Stories to rhyme
OBJECTIVES
• Teach children to write simple rhymes.
• Learn to distinguish between the sound and semantic sides of speech.
Teacher. Do you already know what rhyme is in poetry?
For example, the rhyme for the word flower can be a leaf, and for the word porridge - curdled milk. Bear cub Misha wants to teach you how to do it. They drew funny pictures with Druzhok and came up with inscriptions in verse for them. And the last word in the second line of each rhyme was not completed. Find the right rhyme yourself. It's not difficult at all.
A friend is behind the fence and looks timidly,
How cleverly a friend is wielding ... (with chalk).
Druzhka is disturbed by one thought
Will they see ... (elephant).
When Mishka gets tired of playing
Let him stand at the gate ...
(mouse).
All morning they searched and searched until
Found a new bowl...
(Druzhka).
Help Dunno to compose poetry
OBJECTIVES
• To teach children to distinguish between sound and semantic sides of speech.
The teacher brings N. Nosov's book "Adventure Dunno".
Teacher. Guys, did you recognize this book? Today I will tell you how Dunno wrote poetry.
... After Dunno did not turn into an artist, he decided to become a poet and compose poetry ... Dunno came to the poet Tsvetik and said:
- Listen, Tsvetik, teach me to compose poetry. I also want to be a poet.
- Do you know what a rhyme is?
- Rhyme? No, I do not know.
- Rhyme is when two words end in the same way, - explained Tsvetik. - For example: a duck is a joke, a shortbread is a walrus. Understood?
- Understood.
- Well, say a rhyme for the word "stick".
- Herring, - Dunno answered.
Guys, help Dunno.
Game in progress.
All day long Dunno wrote poetry and finally came up with:
Znayka went for a walk to the river,
Jumped over a sheep.
Hurry was hungry -
Swallowed a cold iron.
Under Avoska's pillow
There is a sweet cheesecake.
Find rhymes
OBJECTIVES

Teach children to identify rhyming words from a text by comparing them.

Teacher. Today I will read B. Shergin's story "Rhymes" to you, and your task is to hear rhyming words. Do you agree?
Shish went to the city on his business. It was summer, it was hot.
An uncle rides a horse ahead. Shish and asked him to give a lift. He sat down next to his uncle. But Shish cannot sit silently. He is only silent when he sleeps. He says:
- Uncle, let's play rhymes.
- What is it - rhymes?
- And let's say it so that it was smooth.
- Come on.
- Here, uncle, what was your father's name?
- My dad's name was Kuzma.
Shish says:
I'll take your Kuzma
by the beard!
- Why are you going to take my dad by the beard?
Shish says:
- This, uncle, is for rhyme. Tell me what your grandfather's name was.
- My grandfather's name was Ivan.
Shish says:
Your grandfather Ivan
Put the cat in his pocket.
The cat is crying and sobbing,
Your grandfather is scolding.
The uncle got excited:
- Why would my grandfather put a cat in his pocket? Why are you picking up such rubbish?
- This is an uncle, for rhyme.
- I'll tell you a rhyme, what's your name?
- My name is… Fedya.
Uncle says:
If you are Fedya,
Then catch a bear in the forest.
Ride a bear,
Get off my horse!
- Uncle, I was joking. My name is not Fedya, but Stepan.
Uncle says:
If you are Stepan,
Get on the eroplane,
On the eroplane and fly,
Get off my horse!
- Uncle, I was joking. My name is not Stepan, but… Silantiy.
Uncle says:
If you're Silantius,
Then get off my horse.
- What are you, uncle, there is no such word - “tears”.
- Although not, get off anyway!
Shisha had to get off the cart. It serves him right. If a kind person carries you on a horse, you sit silently, and do not invent all sorts of trifles.
Children find rhyming words in the text and name them.

Find a rhyme for a word

wordmap

WordMap is a platform that will help poets and musicians to easily and effortlessly create poems and match words to rhymes. With our service, the creation of poetic works of any level of complexity will become possible online.

For whom?

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Creation of fables, pamphlets, epigrams.
Help in creating works for school and children's matinees, holidays, and other entertainment events.
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Help in inventing lyrics, including comic ones.

WordMap spelling is available to everyone - any Internet user will understand the interface: from a young schoolboy to an elderly person.

Is WordMap suitable for professionals?

Even the most experienced and talented poet may have problems finding words by mask and selecting rhymes for a word - this is normal. Problems with finding a rhyme for a word can be caused by a lack of inspiration, fatigue, and even elementary “blurring of the eyes”, when a talented singer writes poetry so often that he stops seeing his own mistakes point-blank. Musicians, poets and writers use services similar to WordMap - they are the best way to help with the selection of rhymes quickly, effortlessly and online. Therefore, we boldly answer “Yes” - our service is suitable for professionals!

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WordMap differs from other similar sites with a "smart" rhyming algorithm, a large database and maximum ease of use of the site. See for yourself - try to find a rhyme for any word, and you will see how easy it is!

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Multi -colored sheets only

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non-cash 11 seconds ago

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