Teaching rhyming words in kindergarten sets a solid base for reading comprehension. Rhyming is a basic component of phonics and a very important pre-reading skill. Teaching kids to find rhyming words or creating a list of rhyming words together helps kids recognize phonetic sounds. This prepares the child for spelling and decoding words while reading.
Simple Rhyming Games
There are many games that help teach children rhyming words. When children learn one word, it is easier for them to recognize another word with almost the same letters, such as cat, rat, mat and hat. The child only needs to learn one new letter and sound to learn a new rhyming word.
There are many different ways to teach rhyming to children in kindergarten. You can use many different aids, including flash cards, rhyming books and songs. Some rhyming exercises to help children learn to rhyme include:
Read rhyming stories such as those by Dr. Seuss. Read the book to the children. Read it a second time, asking the children to clap when they hear a specific rhyming sound.
- Use a pocket chart. Put three cards in a pocket chart. Two of the cards should rhyme and the third should not. Have the students point out the card that does not rhyme.
- Group rhyming. Say a word to the children, then go around the class and have each child say a rhyming word. If you run out of rhyming words before you get to the last child, start the next child with a new word.
- Fill in the blanks. Have the children finish sentences with rhyming words. For example, say, “The mouse lives in the…” The children must finish with the correct rhyming word, which is “house” in this example.
- Use flash cards. Shuffle picture cards together, making sure you have some rhyming cards next to each other. Have the children pick two cards. Have a child read the words on the cards, then tell you if they rhyme.
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