Recommended Age: 3 years and onwards
Purpose: for the child to explore language and words that rhyme
Level of Parent Involvement: Low, once modelled the child may work independently
Prerequisites
- None
Materials
- Rhyming cards PDF
- Scissors
- Small mat or placemat
Preparation
- Print the rhyming cards (See PDF)
- Cut out and laminate the cards
- Place the cards into 2 piles (each pile containing the rhyming word pair)
Steps
- Invite the child letting them know that you have a rhyming game to show them
- Go with the child to their table, the child may bring a placemat or small work mat
- Lay the mat out on the table
- Let the child know that rhyming words are words which sound the same
- Together come up with a few examples (hat and cat, car and star etc)
- Show the child the cards, take one pile and place the cards along the left side of the mat, naming each as you place them on the mat
- Take one of the cards from the other pile and place it next to the first card at the top of the left column of cards
- Say the words of both of the cards out loud
- If they don’t match, try the next card
- Repeat until you find the card that matches
- Do another one, then invite the child to finish
- Leave the child to work independently
- When the child has finished, come back and read the rhyming words together
- The child may mix the piles and match again
Variations
- To help the child develop and understanding of rhyme, sing Down by the Bay with them. The adult should sing the first half of the rhyme and let the child supply the rhyming word: “Did you ever see a cat wearing a…” “Hat!”
After a lot of practice with this stage, the child may be able to make up their own silly rhymes for the song.
