04 Oct Building the foundations for a successful reader. Part 1, Rhyming
When we think of reading, we think of someone holding a book or a newspaper, or these days an Ipad or even a phone, but the foundations for reading, the crucial skills that are required for readers to be successful don’t contain any actual ‘print’ (visual words or letters).
Early/foundation skills for reading actually start with ‘hearing’ or a term you may have heard a before, Phonological Awareness. This is the ability to hear and identify various sounds in spoken words. Children who have strong phonological awareness can do things like rhyme, identify beginning/initial sounds in words, count syllables and blend the individual sounds in words to make the full word. Strong phonological awareness helps children learn to read much more easily and builds solid foundations for successful readers.
The absolute best way to introduce rhyming to your child is by reading lots of fun rhyming books, poems and songs. Young children love to listen to rhyming stories and learning to rhyme is an important step in the language-learning process. Rhyming picture books are an excellent way to introduce rhyming to children of all ages.
Rhyming Picture Book Suggestions:
Goodnight Construction Site, by Sherri Duskey Rinkler & Tom Lichtenheld (ages 3-6)
Noni the Pony by Alison Lester (ages 1-4)
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson (ages 2+)
Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman & Ben Cort (ages 2+)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See, By Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle (ages 2-5)
Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (ages 1+)
Five simple rhyming activities and games to play at home:
- Rhyming Scavenger Hunt.
Hide objects or pictures in the home or outside. Give your child picture checklists and have them go hunting for rhyming words!
- Rhyming Body Game.
Give your child a word that you know rhymes with a body part and they need to figure out what body part your word rhymes with. For example, you say “What rhymes with bed?” And point to your head, hopefully they will say, “Head.” If that is too easy, do not point to the body part when you give your rhyming clue. Other examples; ‘pies’ and point to eyes, ‘boulder’ and point to shoulder, etc.
- Rhyming Name Strings
Come up with silly ‘nonsense’ words that rhyme with names you know. Start with your child’s name and then try ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’. Note, Mum does rhyme with bum, so you can expect quite a few giggles with that one!
- I Spy
Instead of ‘I spy with my little eye, something beginning with ___.’ Change the wording to “I spy with my little eye, something that rhymes with mat.” And the answer might be ‘hat’. Take turns once your child has got the hang of rhyming and can come up with rhyming words themselves.
- Nursery Rhymes
These are just loaded with rhyming words! There is a very good reason they have been round for centuries. Nursery rhymes have so much value for our young ‘readers’. We just can’t get enough of them and they are so good for teaching your little ones to rhyme and to assist in developing a love of learning and books!
– Kirsty Gibbs
LEARNING BLOCKS
Click here to read more about Kirsty and Learning Blocks, or here to see this article in its original post over at Haven Magazine