Take Time to Rhyme
Children love to play, and when they play with words and the smaller sounds in words, they are developing an early literacy skill called "phonological awareness." Recognizing when words rhyme and hearing the beginning sounds of words are parts of this skill set.
Taking words apart into syllables and putting them back together again also contributes to this skill – and that’s exactly what happens when we sing!
Babies will babble and coo, while older children will be able to recognize and repeat rhymes and songs.
Activity Time!
- Look at the picture on this page. Ask your child, what words rhyme with “goat”? What words rhyme with "cake"? Look for rhymes in books and your environment.
- Sing with your child, even if you think you can’t carry a tune! "Willowby Walloby Woo, an elephant sat on you. Willowby Walloby Wake, an elephant sat on Jake."
- Make silly words that sound alike: Michael Michael Motorcycle, Emily Bemily.
- Select a sound of the day and have fun naming all of your children’s stuffed animals or dolls with names that begin with that day’s sound.
- Clap out words into their parts or syllables. “Monkey” gets two claps.
- Help your child make a collage of pictures cut from magazines that focus on one sound, like all words that begin with a “kuh” sound – car, cat, ketchup. (The focus is on the sound the letter makes, not the name of the letter.
- Play word games that change the first sounds in words.“What word would ‘book’ be if we took off the ‘buh‘ sound and made it a ‘puh’ sound? Pook!”
- Use these word endings to create rhymes: _ed (red, bed, fed) _at (bat, cat, mat) _ing (bring, sing, ring) _ight (sight, light, fight)
More 6 by 6 Skills
more skills
Look for Letters Everywhere
Learning shapes, and then later, letters, helps children learn that words are made up of letters that mean different sounds.
Notice Print All Around You
Pointing out words in books, on signs, and all around helps children know that all of those squiggly shapes have meaning.
Take Time to Rhyme
Hearing rhymes and wordplay helps children understand that words are made up of smaller parts — like endings that can sound like each other!
Talk, Talk, Talk
Use lots of language with young children, even when they don’t understand. The more words children hear the larger their vocabulary will be.
Tell Stories About Everything
Hearing lots of stories (and helping to tell them!) gives children an idea of how stories go — beginning, middle, end.
Have Fun with Books
Books can be fun at any age, and young children who enjoy books and see their adults enjoying books will be enthusiastic to learn to read.
Staff Picks
From Your Librarians
6 by 6 - Take Time to Rhyme
Favorite books with rhymes to help children hear the smaller sounds in words.
Books for Kindergarteners
A short selection of books recommended for kindergarteners. Some are easy readers, and some are books meant to be read aloud by an adult.
Wordless Books
Books without words?! As the art of these children's books pull you along remember, a picture is worth a thousand words!
Wordless Picture Books
These wordless picture books are great for story telling practice and for using your imagination.
