Rhyme
Why is rhyme important?
Rhyme teaches children how language works. It helps them notice and work with the sounds within words. When children are familiar with a nursery rhyme or rhyming words in a book, they learn to predict the rhyming word. This prepares them to identify and generate rhymes, which is an important pre- reading skill.
This video shows you how to teach rhyme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9qNKjv_hW8
Easter egg rhyming puzzles
This is a very good activity to practice rhyme. Double click on the link below to open the printable pdf file for the activity.
After printing and cutting the egg halves, lay them on a table. Encourage your child to take a piece, say the name of the picture on it and try to find the rhyming word from the other egg halves on the table. If they find it difficult, they can start by matching the egg halves according to the colour and shape. The more they practice the more they will grasp the concept of rhyme.
Find your rhyming words:
While reading books (both in English and in Maltese) try to find words that rhyme. Draw the pictures of these rhyming words on the recording page (the page with the template of the egg halves on it). You can also use these templates to draw any other rhyming words you think of.
Variation:
To make the activity more challenging and help your child develop his/her visual discrimination and visual memory skills, lay the puzzle pieces face down.
Your child will use visual cues to pick out two egg halves that s/he thinks could fit together. Then turn over the two egg halves s/he chooses. If they have rhyming words, that’s a match. If not, they turn them over and start again.
Ms Marita K 2.3
St Ignatius College, Patri Ġużè Delia, Siġġiewi Primary 