Rhyming Words Background Information for Teachers, Parents and Caregivers
This page provides information to support educators and families in teaching K-3 students about rhyming words. It is designed to complement the Rhyming Words topic page on BrainPOP Jr.
People of all ages are naturally drawn to rhymes because of their melodic quality. Thus, rhyming is a fun and engaging way to help children read and write. Rhyming develops phoneme recognition and literacy skills and gives children the tools to read challenging words. Beginning and struggling readers can use rhymes and word families to help them read difficult words. Remind your children that when two words rhyme, they sound alike. Rhyming words share the same ending sound, as in cat/hat, sun/fun, think/blink, etc. Encourage your children to come up with words that rhyme.
Rhyming words share the same ending sound, and rhyming words can belong in the same word family. Review with your children that a word family is a group of words that share the same pattern of vowels and consonants. Vowels are the letters a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. Consonants are all the other letters that are not vowels. The words bear and pear belong in the same word family because they share the ending –ear. Point out to children that words in the same word family are spelled in similar ways. However, your children should understand that words outside of the word family can still rhyme, such as hair and mare. Some children might recognize that words that are spelled in similar ways may not rhyme, as in hour and four. Present your children with different words and have them brainstorm words in the same family that rhyme and words outside of the family that rhyme.
Beginning or struggling readers can use word families to help them read a challenging or new word. They can look at the challenging word and find words in the same family that they do know how to read. For example, if children have difficulty reading the word blind, they can come up with words in the same family that they do know how to read, such as mind, kind, or find. By giving your children helpful reading strategies, you empower them to become independent readers.
Rhyming is a wonderful way for children to explore language and learn to read. Encourage your children to look for rhymes in books, poems, songs, and advertisements. We recommend watching the Choosing a Book movie together as a review. Help them identify the words that rhyme and find other words that rhyme. Exposing your children to different words and providing a text-rich environment, you can help them become strong readers.
