5 Ways to Teach

Rhyming
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.

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. Read on!

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:
Recognizing rhyme is a skill your child must
master before he can produce rhyme, so you’ll
first want to focus on helping your child
recognize rhyme. Here are some activities that
can help.

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.