Rhyming Words and Games for Kids
Elementary schoolchildren are taught about language, vocabulary and word families with games and activities using rhyming words. Rhyming words are groups of two or more words that have the same sounds. Classroom teachers read books to students filled with rhymes and plan activities to reinforce classroom lessons about rhyming words.
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Rhyming Word Ball Game
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Elementary school students learn about the fun of rhyming words and how to and recognize them when they read. In this game adapted from the Teaching Today website, students play the Rhyming Word Ball Game to reinforce what they have learned about words that rhyme. The teacher begins by bringing students to the carpet and reading a rhyming book, such as "Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?" by Nancy White Carlstrom or any Dr. Seuss book. She reminds students what rhyming words sound like. Then, students sit in a circle on the floor. The teacher chooses a student, rolls the ball to her and says, "Susie, the word is cat." When Susie says a word that rhymes with "cat," she rolls the ball back to the teacher. Then, the teacher says another student's name and a word for them to rhyme. The teacher continues around the circle so that all students have a chance to give a rhyming word.
Snap, Snap, Clap
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Students learn about language and how words rhyme with repetition and whole-class games. In this circle game from Teams Educational Resources, students practice using rhyming words. Once the whole class is in a circle, the teacher joins them in a repetitive motion of "clap, clap, snap...clap, clap, snap." When the teacher feels that the class has a good rhythm, she starts the game. She starts with "clap, clap, snap, ball." The student to her right goes "clap, clap, snap" and finishes with a word that rhymes with "ball." The next student chooses another word such as "clap, clap, snap, bat." This continues as students try to keep the rhythm as they think of words to rhyme.
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Sheep in a Jeep
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Teachers use picture books to help students learn new concepts taught in class. In this activity from the A to Z Teacher Stuff website, teachers use the book "Sheep in a Jeep" by Nancy E. Shaw to create a class rhyming book. Teachers read the story to the class. When she finishes, she writes a few of the frequently used words, such as "sheep" and "steer" on chart paper. She reminds students that rhyming words sound the same and asks them for words to add to the chart that rhyme with "sheep" and "steer." She has each child go to his seat with a blank piece of paper. Each child folds his paper in half. On one half he writes a sentence with one word. On the other half he writes a sentence including a rhyming word. Students circle the words that rhyme with a crayon. When students are done, the teacher puts the papers together into a class rhyming book.
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