By Allyson at the Library Station

Rhyming is essential to reading -- and it is fun to play with! Nursery rhymes, songs with lyrics that rhyme and poetry are enjoyable for children. These verbal activities can be performed anywhere and it is easy enough to integrate into our everyday lives. Children also enjoy rhyme and song and repeating them will make them more memorable. As your child gets older, you can play games to practice hearing rhyme. Start with a thumbs up or down if the words rhyme and then work your way up to finishing the rhyme in a text. Meet your child where they’re at - it may take some time for them to recognize rhyme. The more they play with rhyming the more easily they will hear the sounds. 

The benefits of rhyme are multiple. By playing with rhyme regularly, children will develop the following skills that will later help them read:

• Auditory discrimination 

• Phonemic Awareness (hearing all parts of words)

• Listening skills

• A rich range of language

• Concentration skills

• Verbal storytelling skills 

• Memory 

Here are a few great books at the Library to share together and explore rhyme!

The Bob Books series by Lynn Kertel

The Reading House series by Marla Conn

The Read and Rhyme series by Pearl Markovics

The Short Vowel Phonics series by Patricia Norton

Bing! Bang! Chugga! Beep! by Bill Martin Jr.

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

Frog on a Log by Kes Gray & Jim Field

Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss

Questions or need more ideas? Email racingtoread@thelibrary.org