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Activity Overview
Children that have been exposed to rhyming can hear the similarities in words, which aids them in early reading and spelling skills. This activity is aimed at connecting our cognitive development in early literacy with our aural skills and physical agility. This is a fun and unexpected way to gamify rhyming practice and can also be used to explore other literacy-based concepts. By age three, children can manage a simple version, while older children can integrate a more expansive set of literacy activities into the structure of the game. This can be played on a small scale in the home, but is also very fun on a larger scale outdoors by integrating running and agility work as well. The catching and throwing, bouncing and rolling all aim to help children develop dexterity and agility, while improving their hand eye coordination.
What You Need
Balls of various sizes
A space to bounce and throw the balls
Rhyming words
Steps
Think of a word to start with such as ”bat,” and throw, bounce or roll the ball to your student. They will then come up with a word that rhymes, such as “hat,” and will return the ball to you. Continue in this fashion until you can no longer think of a rhyming word. Then start a new round with a new starting word, such as “can.”
If a student says a word that does not rhyme with the starting word, take a moment to repeat the original and the word the student said. Ask the student if the words sound the same or similar. This will help them pick up on the subtle changes in sound through the words that they read.
This is also a moment to engage the student in awareness of how they move their body, how they throw and catch the balls, and how to improve agility through attention and practice.
Guiding Questions
What word should we start with?
How should we pass the ball back and forth?
Do those words sound similar or the same, or different?
Extensions
Younger learners might also enjoy this game with the goal of naming things that belong to the same category, such as animals, foods, or transportation vehicles.
Older students might like to be challenged next by focusing on first letter sounds or syllables.
Can you think of words that start with the letter P? The letter H?
Can you think of words with two syllables? Three syllables?
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