Rhyming Words Activities

The Task

Children identify words that rhyme in a series of activities. For example, "Put your thumbs up if these two words rhyme--pail-tail or cow-pig?" or "Finish this rhyme, red, bed, blue, ______."

Activities

1. Snap and Clap Rhymes

   • Begin with a simple clap and snap rhythm.
     • Get more complex as children move along in rhyming.

       Clap  Clap

       Snap  fall

       Clap  Clap

       Snap  ball

       Clap  Clap

       Snap  hall

       Clap  Clap

       Snap  small

     • A variation is the "I say, You say" game:

   I say fat.

   You say _____.

   I say red.

   You say _____.

    

2. Rhyming Word Sit Down

   • Children walk around in a big circle taking one step each time a rhyming word is said by the teacher.
     • When the teacher says a word that doesn't rhyme, the children sit down:

   she

   tree

   flea

   spree

   key

   bee

   sea

   went

    

3. Rhyming words in songs, poems, and big books

   • As you do shared reading with the students, pause at the end of phrases and let the students supply the rhyming words.
     • After you have read the poem together ask students to find the rhyming words.
       • Generate other words that rhyme with these rhyming words.

    

4. Silly Rhymes Big Book

   • Use rimes (roots of word families) and rhyme charts around the classroom to create silly poems with the class.
     • Write the one line rhyme with the whole class in big letters on large chart paper (Shared Writing).
       • Read aloud several times.
         • Use different voices. Have children sound and clap words.
           • Have a child illustrate the rhyme.
             • Repeat each week for another set of rimes.