Learning to rhyme is an important literacy skill that helps to improve pre-reading skills, auditory skills, reading, spelling, learning wordplay, and more. Here are 20 charts, activities, and more to help your preschooler improve their rhyming skills.
1. Connect Links
In this rhyming game, students are encouraged to connect picture cards with rhyming sounds with a plastic link. While this activity is geared towards pre-K children, it's also a fun review for kindergarten children.
Learn more: ABCs of Literacy
2. Rhyming Garage
Similar to the previous activity, students connect two or more rhyming sounds in this fun learning activity. However, this time, you label matchbox cars with tape and ask students to part the cars in the correct "garage" marked with another rhyming word.
Learn more: Planning Playtime
3. Number Rhymes
This fantastic rhyming activity is part riddle, part rhyme. Students might need to have clues read to them, but should be able to figure out the pictures and fill in the blank with the appropriate number magnet.
Learn more: Planning Playtime
4. Rhyming Dust Bunnies
Jan Thomas's book is a riot of rhymes (and some unrhymes) narrated by four lovable dust bunnies. Extend story time by encouraging students to come up with their own rhymes as they read.
Learn more: Amazon
5. Toad on the Road
Learn more about rhyming during circle time with this hilarious cautionary tale about the toad on the road. It's full of silly animal rhymes and colorful pictures.
Learn more: Amazon
6. Gorilla Loves Vanilla
If you're interested in a memorable rhyming book other than familiar nursery rhymes, this book is it! The simple rhyming text and memorable ice cream flavors ordered make this a book rich with possibilities for extension activities.
Learn more: Amazon
7. Unlock the Rhyme
Reinforce rhyming skills during classroom centers with the lock and key printable set. Tape rhyming pairs on the corresponding lock and key sets. When students discover the correct pair, the lock opens.
Learn more: No Time for Flashcards
8. Hide and Seek IN Words
In this interactive game, students go for a scavenger hunt for -in family words. Then, challenge them to read the word aloud (if this is too much for your preschooler, you could also print off pictures of "in" words and hide them).
Learn more: Creative Family Fun
9. Peg Board Rhyming Activity
Using some styrofoam, rubber bands, and push pins (or nails), write down two columns of rhyming word pairs. Encourage students to stretch rubber bands between the matching pairs (or maybe there are multiple matches).
Learn more: No Time for Flashcards
10. Rhyme Time Bingo Boards
Using these homemade bingo game cards, preschoolers can practice their rhyming skills with this classic interactive game. Simply call out a word and have them use a marker or animal cracker to mark the corresponding rhyming picture on their board.
Learn more: Growing Book by Book
11. Word Family Four Square
Using two different colors of squares and eight different rhyming word families, label each square with a word (single syllable words work best for preschool). Students should work together to complete four squares of rhyming words from the same family. Flip the cards face down to also turn them into a memory game!
Learn more: Creative Family Fun
12. Stacking Rhyming Words
This fun rhyming game is also one of the simplest activities to set up. Paint several toilet paper rolls and write words from several different families on them and cut them up with an Xacto knife. When the different cylinders are stacked, they should create a rainbow of words.
Learn more: Creative Family Fun
13. Sweep Up a Rhyme
Games with rhymes like this one are a fun way to learn. Spread a pile of words across the floor. Place one word from each family in a basket. As students sweep up the words, they then have to sort the contents of their dustpan into the correct bin.
Learn more: Inspiration Laboratories
14. Rhyming Picture Book
Improve phonological awareness skills in a particular word family group with these printable activity books. As students flip through, they learn about a group of rhyming words. They also can color and mark specific parts of the book for retention.
Learn more: Early Learning Ideas
15. Board Game with Rhymes
Get more rhyme time in with this easy-to-play board game. Students draw a card with one or two dots and move the corresponding number of spaces. They then come up with a word that rhymes with the picture they've landed on.
Learn more: The Measured Mom
16. Rhyming Puzzles
In this free printable rhyming activity, students match up two puzzle pieces to complete a rhyming puzzle. Pieces include a picture and word for increased exposure to rhymes.
Learn more: Simply Kinder
17. Rhyming Body Parts Activity
Encourage fine motor skills through this simple rhyme time activity. Have students draw a person on a whiteboard. As you read prompts on the linked sheet, students erase the corresponding body part until nothing is left.
Learn more: Growing Book by Book
18. Montessori-Inspired Rhyming Activity
This Dr. Seuss book Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? is full of simple rhymes. After reading the book, continue the rhyming practice with real objects. Presort pairs of rhyming objects into two baskets, and have children complete a rhyming sort by pairing the objects together again.
Learn more: Living Montessori Now
19. Rhyme Scavenger Hunt
In this hands-on activity, place a paper plate with an anchor word or picture in each of the hula hoops. Hide several other paper plates with various words or pictures on them for students to find and place in the correct hula hoop.
Learn more: No Time for Flashcards
20. Rhyme or Slime
This game can be played in a variety of ways, but basically, students are shown two picture cards or word cards. If the pictures or words rhyme, they add a jewel to the slime.
Learn more: How Wee Learn
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