Why Should We Rhyme With Young Children?
We all know what rhyming is- matching the ending sounds of words. But, why is it an important skill for your children to acquire?
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| From: Reading and Learning to Read, Eighth Edition, Jo Anne L. Vacca, et al., page 166 |
Phonological awareness- Rhyming is a first step to developing phonological awareness, the ability to hear differences and similarities in the sounds and parts of words. Phonological awareness is a strong predictor of success in learning to read.
Word Families- Rhyming is an important skill because it teaches children about language. It helps them learn about word families by listening to the ending sounds of words, called rimes. A word family is a collection of words ending in the same sound and letters like hat, bat, cat, rat.
Writing- Rhyming can help children understand that words that share common sounds often share common letters. So, if a child can spell mug, they can spell lug and tug because they all end with the same sound and letters -ug.
Making predictions- Another important reading skill is the ability to make predictions. When children are proficient at rhyming, they learn to anticipate rhyming words in rhyming books.
FUN!- Rhyming and playing with words and language is just FUN!
In order for children to develop into confident, fluent readers, they need to READ, READ, READ! For beginners, predictable text is a great place to start. Rhyming books use words, refrains, and patterns throughout the story. This makes it easier for a child to predict what will come next.
Studies have demonstrated that the better children are at detecting rhymes, the quicker and more successful they will be at learning to read.
A really great website to reinforce the importance of rhyming is Fun-A-Day. There is a variety of information available here, including:
*Why rhyming is important.
*How to introduce rhyming to young children.
*Recommended rhyming books and songs.
*Rhyming activities for children.
-One activity is a game you can make called "The cows are out of the barn". I made this game last year to use in my preschool classroom. It was easy to make and I still use it often, the children love it!
Another great resource for you, Rhymers are Readers: the Importance of Nursery Rhymes. This explains the importance of nursery rhymes for all areas of development: language, cognitive, physical, social/emotional. It offers ideas for using nursery rhymes with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. There is also a book list with recommended rhyming books, interactive activities, and songs and finger plays.
