Teaching

Your Child
How to
Rhyme
 Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme
Hi, my name is Marie Rippel and I’m the author of the All About® Reading
and All About® Spelling programs. Thanks for downloading my free e-book on
teaching your child how to rhyme!
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.
As you read through this e-book, feel free to jot down any questions you
may have. You can email us at support@allaboutlearningpress.com or call us
at 715-477-1976. No question is too big or too
small! We’re here to help.
I hope that this e-book provides helpful
information as you work with your child on
developing his rhyming skills.
Make learning a joy!

Marie Rippel
Founder, All About® Learning Press, Inc.

Table of Contents
1 Three Stages of Rhyming. . . . . . 3
2 Rhyming Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3 Activities for Stage 1 . . . . . . . . . 6
4 Activities for Stage 2 . . . . . . . . . 7
5 Activities for Stage 3 . . . . . . . . . 9
6 If Your Child Just Doesn’t
“Get It”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7 What’s Next?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 2
 1 Three Stages of Rhyming
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! Most kids generally
go through three stages. In the order of easiest to hardest, those stages are:

Stage 1: Hearing Rhyme

The child grows accustomed to hearing and repeating rhyme.

Stage 2: Recognizing Rhyme

The child can identify two words that rhyme.

cat
hat Stage 3: Producing Rhyme
The child can think of a word that rhymes with another.

You can find out which stage your child is at by completing the rhyming test
on the next page.

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 3
 2 Rhyming Test
To find out which stage your child is at, ask her the questions on this rhyming
test.

Can Your Child Recognize Rhyme?

Ask your child,
“Do these words sound Child’s Response Answer Key
the same at the end?”
fish/wish yes

horse/cow no

top/mop yes

king/ring yes

on/off no

stamp/lamp yes

rake/take yes

big/small no

nose/rose yes

dry/fry yes

Total Correct

If your child got 0-5 correct, he does not recognize rhyme. He is at Stage 1.
Go to page 6 for suggestions.
If your child got 6-8 correct, he is beginning to recognize rhyme. He is at
Stage 2. Go to pages 7-8 for suggestions.
If your child got 9 or 10 correct, he may be at Stage 3. To find out, go on to
the next test on page 5.

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 4
 Can Your Child Produce Rhyme?
“Tell me a word Possible Answers
Child’s Response
that rhymes with...” (Nonsense words are ok!)
ball wall / crawl / nall

log dog / bog / wog

now cow / plow / yow

blue glue / stew / foo

joy boy / toy / choy

sat bat / flat / gat

Total Correct

If your child got 0-4 correct, he should continue to work on Stage 3 activities.
See pages 9-10.
If your child got 5-6 correct, he has mastered Stage 3.

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 5
 3 Activities for Stage 1
Stage 1 is for kids who are new to rhyming. Here are some things you can do
to help your child become accustomed to hearing and repeating rhyme.

Read rhyming picture books together. There are hundreds of great rhyming
picture books, and the list below is a good place to start.

• Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

• Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
• The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
• The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty
• How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen

As you read, occasionally point out words that rhyme. (“Oh, goat and boat
rhyme! They sound the same at the end. Goat, boat.”)

Share nursery rhymes with your child. Nursery rhymes are conducive to
reciting again and again. Here are some wonderful nursery rhyme collections
to enjoy together:

• Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker

• Animal Crackers: Nursery Rhymes by Jane Dyer
• Here Comes Mother Goose by Iona Opie
• Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes
by Salley Mavor
• Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola

After your child knows the nursery rhymes, let him fill in the rhyming words.

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 6
 4 Activities for Stage 2
If your child is ready to work on Stage 2 (recognizing rhyme), here are some
suggestions.

“Get Out of the Wagon” is a great Stage 2 rhyming

Free
game. In this fun downloadable activity, three
word cards—like bee, tree, and hat—are placed in Download!
a wagon.
Want this game?
Download the
free printable by
following the web
address below.
http://bit.ly/Get-
Out-of-the-Wagon

The child determines which word doesn’t rhyme and tells it to “get out of the
wagon,” leaving the two rhyming cards in the wagon.

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 7
 “Stand Up or Sit Down” is a fun way to practice rhyming while getting your
child moving. To play this game, come up with pairs of simple words that
rhyme and some that do not rhyme. Sit on the floor with your child and say
a pair of words aloud. Instruct your child to stand up if the pair rhymes or
remain seated if it does not. Here are a few word pairs to get you started:

Rhyming Pairs Non-Rhyming Pairs

(Stand Up) (Remain Seated)

mad – sad ball – ride

bear – chair shoe – wet
bed – fed ice – toy
ride – side cat – fun
kid – hid head – stop
snow – low hill – man

Keep Reading Rhyming Picture Books

Rhyming picture books are an excellent way to help your child recognize
rhyme. While reading, occasionally point out rhyming words to your child.

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 8
 5 Activities for Stage 3
If your child is ready to work on Stage 3 (producing rhyme), here are some
suggestions.

“What’s in My Bag?” is a simple, hands-on

Free
activity! Just fill a bag with several common
household items and you’re ready to play.
Download!

Want this game?

Download the
free printable by
following the web
address below.
http://bit.ly/Whats-
in-My-Bag-Game

After you’ve placed several items in a bag, explain to your child that you’re
going to play a rhyming game. When you pull an item out of the bag, have
your child tell you the name of the item. Then your child should come up
with a word that rhymes with that item.

Star! Mookie!

The word your child comes up with doesn’t have to be a real word. Nonsense
words that rhyme are just fine!

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 9
 “Dinner Time” is a printable game that is for more
advanced Stage 3 rhyming. This game is great for Free
the whole family and is guaranteed to provide lots Download!
of giggles for kids and parents alike!
Want this game?
First download and Download the
prepare the game. free printable by
Now it’s time for some following the web
rhyming fun! address below.
Place the illustrated http://bit.ly/Dinner-
food cards in a pile Time-Game
on the table with the illustrations facing up. Point
to the top card and think of a silly rhyming word
for the food item. Ask your child to pass you the food item, except use the
rhyming nonsense word instead of the actual name of the food item.

Allow your child to correct you and then place the appropriate food card on
the dinner plate. Take turns coming up with silly rhyming words for each food
item! Below are a few ideas to get you started.

apple /mapple cake / glake carrot / blarrot

jam / plam spaghetti / spametti hamburger / scramburger
pancake / cancake tomato / topato broccoli / croccoli
pickle / blickle banana / bashana cheese / skeese

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 10
6 If Your Child Just Doesn’t “Get It”

Don’t be surprised if your child doesn’t understand the term rhyming. The
term rhyming is an abstract concept. A child may recognize that two words
end in a similar way (as in tall and ball), but yet not know the definition of
rhyming. Don’t let the fact discourage you or make you think that your child
will never understand rhyming.
If your child seems to be confused about rhyming, try to avoid the words
rhyme and rhyming. Here’s an example of a hands-on activity that introduces
the concept of rhyming without ever mentioning the term.

Gather these household items:

• stuffed bear • string • can • glove • sock
• chair • ring • pan • box • clock
Place the bear, can, and string in a bag so they are hidden from your
child’s view. Then place the chair, pan, and ring next to your child.
Pull the stuffed toy bear out of the bag and place it on the chair. “Let’s
play a little game. There’s a bear in the chair! Bear and chair sound
the same at the end! Say these words: bear, chair.” Child repeats the
words. “They sound the same at the end, so you get to keep the bear.”
Pull the can out of the bag and place it next to
the pan. “There’s a can next to the
pan. Can and pan sound the same at
the end! Say these words: can, pan.”
Child repeats the words. “They sound
the same at the end, so you can keep
the can.”

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 11
 Play the game again with two more items that rhyme (like string and
ring).
Now repeat the game with two items that don’t rhyme. “There’s a
glove in a box! Glove and box don’t sound the same at the end! Say
these words: glove, box.” Child repeats the words. “They don’t sound
the same at the end, so you don’t get to keep the glove.”
Repeat the game one more time with two items that rhyme (like sock
and clock).

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 12
 7 What’s Next?
Rhyming is an important pre-reading skill that reaps dividends later on.
It may not happen overnight, but with repeated exposure, your child will
learn to rhyme. Keep your rhyming practice fun and light—it shouldn’t feel
like a “lesson” to a young child.
If you’re interested in the “already-planned-for-you route,” check out our
Pre-reading program. It helps your child move through the three stages of
rhyming with carefully planned activities.

It’s packed with special games, crafts, and storytime read-alouds, and
you will love the way your student effortlessly learns the five essential
pre-reading skills: Print Awareness, Letter Knowledge, Phonological
Awareness, Listening Comprehension, and Motivation to Read.
For info on our complete reading program, please visit us at
www.AllAboutReading.com or call us at 715-477-1976. We’re happy to help!

Teaching Your Child How to Rhyme © 2019 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 13