Here is a collection of rhyming activities for Pre-K and Preschool.
Find more literacy ideas on the Literacy Resource Page
Books
An excellent book for teaching rhyming words is The Hungry Thing. I don’t know why Scholastic hasn’t republished this book. It is very hard to find for a decent price; even a used copy is expensive on Amazon. I was lucky enough to get a copy at Goodwill. Check your public and school libraries, and other resources, such as parents or coworkers to borrow a copy.
Activities
Nursery Rhyme
We recite traditional nursery rhymes while doing movements that correspond with them. The movements we use come from Jack Hartmann’s CDs Rhymin’ to the Beat volumes 1 and 2. We learn to recite the rhyme with the movements before doing the song.
Rhyming Basket
Objects are placed in a basket (one object for each child present), and the basket is passed around the circle. As each child gets the basket, I say a word (such as “fizzers”) and they pull out the object that rhymes (“scissors”). You can use any objects, because it doesn’t matter if the rhyming words are real words or nonsense words.
Erase the Rhyme
Draw a picture on a dry erase board, such as grass, sky, tree, flower, and sun. Say a word, such as tower, and have a child come up to erase what rhymes (flower); erase what rhymes with bee (tree); erase what rhymes with fun (sun). Continue until the whole picture is erased. Draw on a dry erase lap board before the children arrive, so that they don’t have to wait while you draw. Usually, after I’ve drawn a few, some of the children will volunteer to draw one for the next day.
Rhyming Match Games
Read the blog post and print the mats here: Rhyming Match Games Printables.
Rhyming Dice
Read about this activity and print the rhyming dice pictures at the blog post: Rhyming Dice Activity.
Rhyme Time Pocket Chart
This is just another way to use and display rhyming cards. We use this pocket chart for matching games at circle time, and the children use it during center time. I purchased the set of rhyming cards in a box in the school supply section of a store (I no longer remember where). You could also print the cards from the Rhyming Match Game to use for the pocket chart.
Rhyming Bingo
You can make your own bingo cards using the printable rhyming cards, or you can buy a set already made. I have one made by Trend.
Rhyming Cards
Read the blog post and print the cards here: Rhyming Cards Printables
Rhyming Rings
Hook words that rhyme together on a metal ring. Include a picture with the word. Children flip through the picture cards and say them into a PVC phone. Example: dog, hog, log, fog, jog.
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