Poems:
I'm thinking of something that rhymes with three. It grows in a forest and it's called a ..... (the kids guess the rhyme) easy to do while waiting in line. You can continue to change the rhyming words.
With kids who have not yet learned to rhyme, I insert their name. 'I'm thinking of something that rhymes with mally. She's a girl in our class and her name is....Sally!
Mighty Minutes:
80 Hickory Dickory Dock
81 Humpty Dumpty
87 One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
88 Disappearing Rhymes
96 This Old Man
As you expose children to rhyming and alliteration activities, you may notice students who confuse the beginning and the ending of words. In this 2-minute video, my colleague, Michelle O’Reilly, demonstrates a very simple strategy to add visual and kinesthetic input that supports and reinforces the concepts of “beginning” and “end”.
NOTE: It is important not to confuse students with the concepts of ‘rhyme’ and beginning sound awareness (alliteration -onset/rime). Explicit instruction when teaching rhyme (words that sound the same at the end) is extremely important before formally teaching the concept of alliteration (words that begin with the same sound).
Arm tapping (KINEME) Anchor Chart
-at family sort (rhyme & doesn't rhyme)
-at family sort (rhyme sort) -og; -ig; -ish
FCRR Phonological Awareness Lessons pt. 1
FCRR Phonological Awareness Lessons pt. 2
Rhyme Away Stories (resource: Enhancing PA in HI students)
Rhyme Family Visuals (color cards to sort)
Rhyme Visuals with words (black and white)
Rhyming Tubs activity board
Rhyming word pictures OWL Unit 1 activity
SIOP Visuals for Nursery Rhymes
Rhyming Exposure
ODL 15a - level NY - 2
LISTENING GAME:
Rationale: Native Spanish speakers may not be accustomed to listening for final sounds in words because many Spanish words end in vowels rather than consonants. This game prepares students to rhyme by training their ear to focus on the final position in a series of sounds. Visual supports are provided to reduce working memory and allow for auditory focus. View link for demonstration lesson. (~3 min)
Rhyming Recognition
ODL 15a - level 4
Down By The Bay
extension activity
Tell students that they will sing a song to practice their rhyming skills. If you choose to have a “rhyming stick,” tell students that when you pass the stick to them, it will be their turn to think of a rhyme for the song.
Sing the traditional children’s song “Down by the Bay.” Invite students to join.
When you get to the verse that begins, “Did you ever see a ___,” choose a verse from the ones provided and sing the entire line except the very last word. Pass the “rhyming stick” to a student and ask them to complete the verse. Accept any word that rhymes, even if its a silly word.
Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow,
Back to my home,
I dare not go,
For if I do,
My mother will say…
(reference the PA-TTB linked below)
Down by the bay!
Phonological Awareness table top book pg 24
Down By the Bay interactive game
Rhyme Recognition
Give students a picture card, and they can sort the cards by if they rhyme or not.
Or have a student hold up a card and the rest of the students vote if the pictures rhyme or not.
Rhyming Recognition
ODL 15a - level 4/5
That’s Not Right!
Tell students that they will play a new rhyming game. Say: “I will say a sentence, but something won’t be right. Your job is to figure out which word isn’t right and fix it!”
Say the sentence rhythmically, gently moving to the beat. Pronounce the bolded (wrong) word with slightly more emphasis.
Example:
Teacher: Oink, oink said the little baby wig.
Students: It’s pig, not wig!
Phonological Awareness table top book pg 28
Jump Up and Down Song
...rhyming name variation: “Let’s pretend all of our names start like (choose a consonant sound). As we sing, listen for the word that rhymes with your name.” (singing for Sophia:)
/m/ophia, /m/ophia, jump up and down
jump up and down, jump up and down
/m/ ophia, /m/ ophia, jump up and down
Please (sit down, line up, choose your center, etc.)
Rhyming Name Game
Children will begin to join in and identify the correct student’s name with this fun oldie. HERE are the lyrics.
Spanish Rhyming Word Cards
Rhyming Completion
ODL 15a - level 4
Phonological Awareness instruction: Reflect on where your students fall in the phonological awareness stages. It is completely appropriate for the majority to be in the exposure and explanation stage. Ask yourself if your instruction matches the stage your students are in? Build a strong foundation in the exposure stage before jumping to recognition/identification or production stages. The Pre-K Phonological Awareness Teacher Table Book has many lessons and strategies in the various stages. Here is one lesson that supports the exposure and explanation stage from this resource.
Rhyme Recognition: Feel the Rhyme
NOTE: It is important not to confuse students with the concepts of ‘rhyme’ and beginning sound awareness (alliteration -onset/rime). Explicit instruction when teaching rhyme (words that sound the same at the end) is extremely important before formally teaching the concept of alliteration (words that begin with the same sound).
PA - ODL 15a
Rhyme Completion
Spanish words rhyming pairs resource
Use rhyming puzzle pieces to provide students visual support as your complete silly rhymes.
Silly sentences to get you started:
Turn on the light and go fly a ________(kite).
I opened the box and out jumped a ______ (fox).
Twinkle, twinkle little star, where oh where is my mother’s ________ (car).
Don’t put glue on my favorite tennis ______(shoe).
I’m riding on a train in the pouring ______(rain).
Look at the bee flying around the apple ______(tree).
PA - ODL 15a
Rhyme Completion
Expose students to the concept of rhyme using a traditional chant that differentiates the roles of a doctor and a nurse. Extend the activity through multiple exposures in which they chime in to complete the rhyme.
History for 'The Lady with the Alligator Purse' Lady with the Alligator Purse or Miss Lucy Had a Baby is a schoolyard rhyme. Originally used as a jump-rope chant, it is more often enjoyed by children as part of a clapping game.
Lady With the Alligator Purse - Jack Hartman
Miss Lucy had a baby
She named him Tiny Tim
She put him in the bath tub
To see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water
He ate up all the soap
He tried to eat the bathtub
But it wouldn't go down his throat.
Miss Lucy called the doctor
Miss Lucy called the nurse
Miss Lucy called the lady
With the alligator purse.
“Mumps!” said the doctor
“Measles!” said the nurse
“Nothing!” said the lady
With the alligator purse.
Out walked the doctor
Out walked the nurse
Out walked the lady
With the alligator purse.
Rhyme Completion
This Old Man Rhyme Completion Game
Give students either a number or a picture from the activity. As you read the poem together the students will come up and Velcro their piece to the board to complete the rhyme.
Or give students a number or picture card and play music, when the music stops the students should find their rhyming match.
Rhyme Completion
ODL 15a level 4-6, plus ODL 8, 9 (language) and ODL 12 (cognitive)
Rhyme Away: As modeled in the January webinar, this is an easy activity to implement during PAC Time. THIS FOLDER contains a collection of Rhyme Away stories. The visual support is a great way to start with rhyme completion instruction because it helps children determine a word that rhymes AND makes sense. This is especially important for multi-language learners who will need vocabulary support.
Scaffold for rhyme recognition: If children are unable to guess the word, offer two choices, a rhyme and a non-rhyme.
Extension for rhyme production: For students who grasp the skill easily, ask what else rhymes with the pair.
Rhyming Completion
ODL 15a - level 3, 4
During outside time, play a game of tag where all except two students are gingerbread men. The ‘it’ students are the little old woman and the little old man. The gingerbread men repeat the rhyme ‘Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I'm the gingerbread man’ then take off running. Whomever the little old man and little old woman tags first takes their place as ‘it’ and the game repeats.
Rhyming Completion
ODL 15a - level 4
LETRS pg. 104~”A sense of rhyme develops with an awareness and detection of rhymes in song…”
LETRS EC pg. 106 “One way to help children develop their phonological processing skills is to enhance their listening environment.”
Whisper Phone - “The words that are said in a whisper phone are heard at a louder level. This strategy is called auditory bombardment and helps children focus more intently on what is said.”
Teach children how to use them properly
Use them in table top activities that involve listening, i.e. rhyme, listening for specific sounds, learning new words.
Rhyming Completion
ODL 15a - level 4
Rhyming Riddles - Linked below are 3 different rhyming riddle slide presentations that have visual scaffolds to support students as they learn to listen carefully to complete a rhyme riddle. You may choose to use these slides to teach the concept whole group/small group (instructional technology) or you may choose to print the slides and display the visuals as you repeat the rhyming riddle. NOTE: Repeated use of these slides to teach the concept of rhyme completion would be appropriate. If you choose to make a slide presentation of your own, I would love to share it with your colleagues. :)
Rhyming Riddles - visuals added
Rhyming Riddles - Tomkinson (revised - visuals added)
NOTE: It is best to use the slides in ‘presentation’ mode.
Intentional-Objective Focused Instruction:
Use the anchor chart to explicitly teach the concept of rhyme.
Tips for differentiating the Rhyming Riddles activity: Present the riddle as is (level 4)
too hard? Provide two words using picture cards for the child to choose from:
You sleep in me and I rhyme with sled. (house/bed)
too easy? Ask the child for another word that rhymes with the correct response (bed, Fred, red, etc.)
Rhyming Completion
ODL 15a - level 4
Word Play
A GoodBye Rhyming Book FREE from TPT: This repetitive, fun goodbye chant provides predictability and visuals to support children as they begin to remember and complete familiar rhymes.
Rhyming Completion -
ODL 15a - level 4
Word Play to Introduce the Definition of Rhyming
When reciting a familiar poem, replace one of the rhyming words with a similar word or phrase that does not rhyme. For example, “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men- couldn’t put Humpty together anymore.” Notice how students respond to your planned error. Ask them how they know you made a mistake and why your words don’t sound right. Share an explanation something like this: “This is a nursery rhyme. Anymore doesn’t sound right because it doesn’t rhyme with men. Listen… ‘All the king’s horses and all the king’s men- couldn’t put Humpty together AGAIN.’ Rhyming words sound the same at the end… men- again- men- again. ” Chant the poem several times, allowing children to complete the rhyming pairs. Use this introduction as a jumping off point for frequent chanting of poems, nursery rhymes, rhyming books, etc, where you pause for students to complete the rhyme.
PA - ODL 15a
Rhyme Completion
(Brigance - Body Parts)
Simon says touch your crumb. What he means is touch your (thumb).
Simon says touch your jingerpail. What he means is touch your (fingernail).
Follow the pattern for other body parts:
chin, cheek, shoulder, chest, foot, hand, head, back, spine, brows etc.
Rhyming Completion
ODL 15a - level 4
Phonological Awareness instruction: Reflect on where your students fall in the phonological awareness stages. It is completely appropriate for the majority to be in the exposure and explanation stage. Ask yourself if your instruction matches the stage your students are in? Build a strong foundation in the exposure stage before jumping to recognition/identification or production stages. The Pre-K Phonological Awareness Teacher Table Book has many lessons and strategies in the various stages. Here is one lesson that supports the exposure and explanation stage from this resource.
Rhyming Completion -
ODL 15a
There are three options for a rhyme completion check that is scaffolded with visuals.
This would be a great activity to add to your Read Aloud 2 lesson plan. When I did the activity I drew the picture on a white board in front of them and labeled each part as I drew it so they were familiar with the words they would be expected to identify to complete the rhyme. Your teaching partner could record on the form while you lead the group activity. (My data was collected 1:1.)
Repetition of the rhyme away clues/visuals will support the students as they learn how to use context clues to complete the rhyme.
NOTE: The second activity (the boy) may be the best one to start with if you have ELL students.
Rhyme Away whiteboard
Rhyme Away digital
Materials needed: Mr/Mrs Potato Head and body parts, copy of clue cards
My turn: Display and identify the loose parts needed to build the potato head. Explain the steps: Choose a card. Complete the rhyme. Find the body part or accessory. Add it to your potato head. Model using the extra clues to deconstruct the potato head.
Do it with me: Provide a small group of students with the loose parts they will need to build their potato head. Let them explore the materials and build the potato head before you begin reading the clues. Read the clue cards to students (checking responses) and support them as needed while they build their potato head. Note the students who need more support listening to the context and determining the object that rhymes.
Do it by yourself: Provide students with the loose parts needed to complete their potato head. Follow these steps: Students will choose a picture cue card. Look at the picture cue. Identify the body part that rhymes with the cue picture. Open the card to check. Say these two words. Add that body part to their potato head.
Read/recite a rhyming story with exaggerated prosody and provide the first sound of the word that rhymes at the end of the stanza/refrain with the expectation that the students will chime in with the rhyming word.
My turn: read/recite the poem; explaining/exposing students to blending onset/rime. (Explain the meaning of the tier 2 words in the context of the poem using asides as needed.)
Do it with me: read/recite the poem, provide the first sound and encourage the children to chime in to complete the rhyme. NOTE: Use only the first two stanzas on day 1, then add a stanza a day until the students are freely chiming in on the rhyme.
Sample rhyme-
Mary Had A Little Lamb
by Sarah Josephs Hale
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to /g/— (go).
He followed her to school one day,
That was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at /sk/ – (school).
And so the teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near.
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did /uh/– (appear).
And then he ran to her and laid
His head upon her arm,
As if he said, “I’m not afraid-
You’ll shield me from all /h/– (harm).”
“What makes the lamb love Mary so?”
The little children cry;
“Oh, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did ‘re’– (reply).
“And you each gentle animal
In confidence may bind,
And make it follow at your call,
If you are always /k/– (kind).”
NOTE: This strategy could be used with a variety of simple poems and books, i.e, I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! By Karen Beaumont, The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.
Rhyme Completion~
ODL 15a level 6-7, related ODL 9 and 12
Rhyming Riddles with choice visuals- 2 rhymes and 1 non-rhyme:
Many of you are sharing that students are able to provide a rhyming word, even if it may not be one that makes sense in the poem or riddle.
In response to this trend, I am sharing a modified Rhyming Riddles lesson. Notice that there are 3 choice visuals. One will not rhyme and two will. You may use this resource to model how to choose the word that rhymes AND makes sense. Using this lesson over several days will allow you to do more modeling at first (I Do), then more guided practice (We Do), then finally releasing more thinking to individual students
PA - ODL 15a
Rhyme Completion
(Brigance - Body Parts)
Simon says touch your crumb.
What he means is touch your (thumb).
Simon says touch your jingerpail.
What he means is touch your (fingernail).
Follow the pattern for other body parts:
chin, cheek, shoulder, chest, foot, hand, head, back, spine, brows etc.
Rhyme Recognition / Production
ODL 15a level 4 - 6
Jump Up and Down Song: rhyming name variation: “Let’s pretend all of our names start like (choose a consonant sound). As we sing, listen for the word that rhymes with your name.” (singing for Sophia:) If the child is ready, ask them to produce another word that rhymes with their name.
/m/ophia, /m/ophia, jump up and down
jump up and down, jump up and down
/m/ophia, /m/ophia, jump up and down
Please (sit down, line up, choose your center, etc.)
Rhymes Rhymes Oh So Fine
This is a rhyme production chant. You can differentiate by having children repeat the rhymes (level 2-4) or by giving a non-rhyme and allowing them to cross their fingers or arms in a “X” (level 5-6)
:
Rhymes, rhymes, oh so fine
But can you rhyme at any time?
If I say a word like cat,
You say a word like ____.
(point to a child)
And you say a word like ____.
(point to a child)
Rhyme Production~
ODL 15a level 6-8
As we shift away from Rhyme Completion into Rhyme Production, you may be noticing that students need more practice with the complex language task of Rhyme Completion. You may choose to continue with Rhyme Completion activities such as Rhyming Riddles with choice visuals- 2 rhymes and 1 non-rhyme, with a simple addition:
Once a rhyme is completed correctly, model how to think of additional rhyming words. Invite children who are ready to join in producing rhymes.
Scaffold: If students cannot identify the rhyme, offer two choices, the correct rhyme and the non-rhyme
Extension: If students complete the rhyme correctly and produce an additional rhyme, challenge them to produce 1-2 more rhymes
This hands-on and engaging lesson helps preschoolers recognize the word families while making learning fun! 😊 Adapt it to the word families you want to teach your students. Follow the procedures and use only pictures cards/objects at first. Once students are familiar with identifying the initial sounds in words, adding print may help solidify the concept.
Objective:
Students will identify and sort words in the -at word family using pictures and word cards.
Materials:
Picture cards for -at words (cat, hat, bat, rat, mat, sat, pat)
Word cards for -at words
A pocket chart or sorting mat
Small baskets or envelopes for sorting
Dry erase board and markers
Lesson Steps:
Gather students in a small group and ask:
“Who can think of a word that rhymes with ‘cat’?”
Say “cat, bat, hat” aloud and emphasize the rhyming sound.
Write “cat” on the dry erase board and underline -at to highlight the pattern.
Show each picture card one at a time and ask, “What do you see?”
Repeat the word, emphasizing the -at ending (e.g., “This is a cat. Listen: c-a-t, cat!”).
Display the matching word card next to the picture and say the word together.
Mix up the picture and word cards.
Have students take turns picking a picture card, naming the object, and placing it in the -at word family group.
Once all pictures are sorted, have students match word cards to the correct picture.
Ask students to clap or jump every time they hear an -at word as you read them aloud.
Encourage them to think of silly sentences using -at words (e.g., “The cat sat on a hat.”).
Review all the words together.
Ask: “Can you think of another word that rhymes with ‘cat’?”
Praise their effort and let them take turns saying or acting out one of the words.
Extension Ideas:
Create a mini -at word book where students draw pictures and label them.
Sing a simple -at word song (e.g., “The Cat in the Hat Sat on a Mat”).
Preschool teachers can use a variety of instructional strategies to teach rhyme families in an engaging and developmentally appropriate way. Here are some effective methods:
Read aloud books with repetitive rhyming patterns (e.g., Dr. Seuss books).
Pause before the rhyming word to let children predict it.
Emphasize rhyming sounds by reading expressively.
Use nursery rhymes and rhyming songs to reinforce patterns (e.g., Down by the Bay).
Create simple, repetitive chants focusing on a specific rhyme family.
"Rhyme Detective" – Say a word and have children find an object or picture that rhymes.
"Odd One Out" – Give three words, two that rhyme and one that doesn’t, and ask children to find the odd one.
"Rhyming Basket" – Place objects in a basket and have children find rhyming pairs.
Provide pictures or word cards and have children group them into rhyme families (e.g., cat, hat, bat).
Create a classroom display with rhyming families (e.g., a section for -at words: cat, mat, sat).
"Rhyme Matching Puzzles" – Use puzzles where pieces only fit if the words rhyme.
"Jump and Rhyme" – Lay out rhyming word cards on the floor; children jump to the matching rhyming word.
Have children make up silly rhymes or nonsense words within rhyme families.
Use puppets or stuffed animals to "talk" in rhymes and encourage children to respond.
Have children illustrate pairs of rhyming words.
Encourage early writing by helping them create simple rhyming stories or poems.
Using a mix of these strategies helps reinforce rhyming skills in a fun and interactive way, making learning more meaningful for preschoolers.
Word family activities help young learners recognize patterns in words, making reading and writing easier. Here are some fun and engaging activities for teaching word families:
Use word cards with different endings (e.g., -at, -an, -op) and have kids sort them into groups.
Use pictures along with words to help visual learners.
Create flip books where the ending stays the same, but the beginning sound changes (e.g., b-at, c-at, h-at).
Let children decorate their books for added engagement.
Hide word cards around the room and have children find and match words that belong to the same family.
Use a scavenger hunt format for added excitement.
Write different word family endings on a die.
Have children roll the die, say a word with that ending, and use it in a sentence.
Create bingo cards with words from different families.
Call out words, and students cover the matching words on their cards.
Write a word family ending in the center of a flower and different beginning sounds on each petal.
Have children read and decorate their flowers.
Draw hopscotch squares with different word family words.
Children hop to a square, read the word aloud, and say another word from the same family.
Give students word family cards and sight word cards to build silly sentences.
Example: “The cat sat on a bat.”
These activities make learning word families interactive and fun, helping children recognize spelling patterns and improve their reading skills! 😊