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Rocco the Rhyming Rhino | Rhyming Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann

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TheLearningStation - Kids Songs and Nursery Rhymes

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Apples and Bananas with Lyrics - Vowel Songs - Kids Songs by The Learning Station

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Months of the Year Syllable Song | Phonological Awareness | Jack Hartmann

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Party In The Jungle | Fun Phonemic Awareness Song | Jack Hartmann

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Assessment

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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Rhyming games for preschoolers that are fun, engaging, and super low prep.
As I've mentioned many times before, sometimes the simplest activities are the best. This is especially true when it comes to young children!

Teaching kiddos to rhyme can definitely fall into this category. Games and rhyming activities for preschool don't need to be overly complicated, nor do they need to take a lot of time. In fact, sometimes it's those 3-minute, spur of the moment games that help children have an "Aha! I can rhyme!" moment.

Simple Rhyming Games for Preschoolers

Using games as a way to teach rhyming is always a great idea. Kids love playing games, and games easily incorporate all kinds of learning. Just keep in mind that rhyming is a phonemic awareness skill, so rhyming activities should focus on how words sound. Use pictures or spoken words, rather than printed words, with these games.

Rhyming bingo games can be purchased online or at local stores. Homemade bingo games work just as well and can be tailored to better meet the needs of the kids playing.

Rhyming Memory

Use picture cards (purchased or handmade), turned upside down, for this rhyming game. Children can play in small groups with their peers or with an adult, depending on their level of need. Just like any memory game, the kiddos take turns turning over two cards. Have them say the words aloud, then help them to determine if those words rhyme. This really gives the children the chance to say rhyming words in a fun way.

Rhyming Puzzles

Once again, this is a game that can be purchased or homemade. Good rhyming puzzles use clear pictures that children can identify. A way to self-check is also important if the children are assembling the puzzles without assistance. Encourage the children to say each word out loud so they can hear which sound the same at the end.

Picture Sorting Games

More great rhyming activities involve picture sorts! Picture cards, magazine cut outs, clip art, and even children's drawings, can all be used as sorting materials. Obviously, since this is about rhyming, the cards should be sorted based on their ending sounds. Children can sort the cards individually, with their peers, or with adult help.

Picture sorts can be done a variety of ways - at a table or desk, on a large floor mat, in pocket charts, on Velcro or felt boards, etc. Another idea is to use some some of the children's favorite toys involved! Tape pictures to trains, trucks, or cars and have the kids drive the vehicles to the appropriate rhyming picture. Have dolls and action figures hold pictures, then have the kiddos match up the pairs that rhyme.

The Cows are out of the Barn

Make barns with pictures on them, and the kids have to find the cows with the correct rhymes on them. Their goal is to put all the cows back into the correct barns. You can do this all on paper if you want. Alternatively, grab a barn play set and tape rhyming pictures to the animals!

Use shoe boxes (or other small boxes) to create different animals. Then make "food" for the animals to eat. For example, one box could be a dog, with children putting rhyming bones into its mouth. The bones would have appropriate rhyming pictures on them, of course.

Dinner Time!

Children who enjoy pretend play in the kitchen will enjoy this rhyming activity. Put pictures on plastic plates. Then have the kiddos use spatulas or chopsticks to transfer rhyming pictures to the correct plates.

Gross Motor Rhyming Games for Preschoolers

What kiddo doesn't love running and jumping around?! Get the children moving with these rhyming activities:

Pin a picture to each child's shirt. When you tell them to, the kiddos have to race to their partner (who has a coordinating rhyming picture). Whoever gets to their partner first, wins. If playing this game with just one child, place objects or pictures that rhyme in different spots outside.

Rhyming Hopscotch

Use tape to create a hopscotch game inside, or chalk for an outside game. Have pictures inside each hopscotch square. Yell out a word, then have the child hop to the appropriate rhyming word.

Rhyming Scavenger Hunt

Hide objects or pictures in the home, classroom, or outside. Give children picture checklists and have them go hunting for rhyming words!

Walk the Tightrope

Glue pictures to footprint cut-outs, then place these footprints in a line. Be sure to place rhyming pairs next to each other. Have children say the rhyming words as they step on the pictures. The rhyming pairs could also be mixed up, with the children having to hop from one rhyming word to another.

What are some of your favorite rhyming games for preschoolers? My kiddos always seem to love memory, bingo, and anything that involves moving around.
Originally published April 18, 2013

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10 Super Simple and Easy Rhyming Games for Preschoolers

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Rhyming games for preschoolers that are fun, engaging, and super low prep. As I've mentioned many times before, sometimes the simplest activities are the best. This is especially true when it comes to young children! Teaching kiddos to rhyme can definitely fall into this category.

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Beginning Sounds | Beginning Sounds Song | Word Play | Jack Hartmann

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How to Teach Phonological Awareness Skills

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How to teach phonological awareness skills in your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. Hands-on activities to make learning fun.

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Clever Classroom Blog Phonological & Phonemic Awareness FREEBIE

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5 Quick, Easy, ad fun Phonemic Awareness Activities

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5 Quick, Easy, ad fun Phonemic Awareness Activities

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https://www.earlychildhoodteacher.org/blog/5-quick-easy-and-fun-phonemic-awareness-activities/

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by Katelyn Hildebrand

Play Dough for Guided Reading or

Intervention Phonics Practice

It is a universal law that children love all things colorful, messy, and different. Anything they can feel and squish between their fingers is instant engagement. That's why when things started to get dull and monotonous, I loved pulling out the play-dough. This works best in a one-on-one setting (intervention, rti pull-outs, tutoring, etc.) or small groups during guided reading. I will warn you that I would not do this whole-group unless your class is extremely well trained at following directions (if so, then you are a magician! 🌟Please teach me your ways.).

For optimal teacher-sanity and minimal rainbow carpet, here is how to set expectations and procedures for the activity. The first time will take longer, and you probably won't get to practice very many words. BUT IT IS WORTH IT to take your time and clearly explain procedures the first time. The clearer and more thorough you are with the instructions, the smoother the activity will go. Try this activity several times, and soon the students will be familiar with the procedures and you will be amazed at how many words you can get through, and the students stay engaged the whole time!

Below the lesson set-up and procedures are some practice variation ideas so you can use this activity to teach a variety of phonics patterns. Students love to get creative and come up with new ideas on how to represent the words with play-dough. Have fun with it!

Cheap Cookie Trays (I got mine for $2 each at Walmart)

Play-Dough (these colors from Amazon are fun, and they come in perfect individual "serving" size)

Magnetic Letters (love these Amazon, or these for a bigger class set)

*If you want to go low material and prep, just have a white board and dry erase marker for each student. Students can write the words on their white boards and then use the play-dough to decode them.

Write a list of phonics patterns and words you want to cover for the lesson. It is best to only focus on 1 or 2 phonics patterns a day, with about 5 or 6 practice words total. You can get in more as the students become quicker with the routine.

For each student, have one cookie sheet and a baggie of plastic letters you will be using.

OR, if you are using whiteboards, have a whiteboard, dry erase marker, and eraser (I use tissues) for each student.

Setting Behavior Expectations:

Before you bust out the play-dough, set clear expectations to avoid a rainbow-colored free-for-all extravaganza. Model each step yourself (giving yourself materials) and show them how you expect them to follow the expectations. Tell the students:

1. I will hand each one of you a tray (or white board, or paper in page protector). Keep the tray flat on the table in front of you.

2. You will each get a baggie of letters (or dry erase marker). Keep it next to your tray and do not open it until tell you.

3. You will also get 1 ball of play-dough. You will keep it in the corner of your tray (or whiteboard, or paper). This will be your play-dough storage area. Only touch this when I tell you to.

BEFORE YOU HAND OUT STUDENT MATERIALS!

Make sure you model the WHOLE activity before you hand out student materials, because sorry teach, play-dough usually beats teacher in student attention contests. 💁

1. I will show you a word on my board, like this (place or write letters of the first word on your board).

2. When I say go, you will then make (or write) the word on your board, then fold your hands and look at me. We will wait for everyone to have their word made.

3. When I say go, you will roll 3 (or however many you need for your word) small balls of play-dough, and place one ball under each letter. Fold your hands and look at me when you are done (make 3 small balls and put them under each letter of your example word, and then fold your hands).

4. As a group, we will sound the word out together by pressing on the ball under each letter as we say its sound. Then we will say the whole word together and fold our hands (press on each ball of play-dough as you say the sounds of each letter in your example word, then say the whole word and fold your hands).

Pass Out Student Materials:

Remind students of the expectations to "keep their tray or whiteboard flat, their letters or markers next to it on the table, and their play-dough ball in the corner of their board. Always keep your hands folded while waiting for instructions. Wait for me to say go before you make a word or get your play-dough balls."

Hand out student materials and praise students who quickly follow the expectations.

1. Make or write the first word, or phonics pattern, on your board, then have the students make it on their board.

2. Let students get their balls of play-dough to place under the letters.

3. Sound out the word together by pressing on each ball as you say the sound of each letter.

4. Then have the students say what the word is.

The great thing about using cookie sheets, whiteboards, or page protectors is that they are super easy to clean up. Just teach the students to take their play-dough and press it over any crumbs on their tray (or the table). The crumbs stick the the bigger ball, so all you have to do is just dab away until there are no more crumbs. 👍

Here is the fun part! Once students are proficient with the expectations and procedures, you can have fun experimenting different ways to use the play-dough. They will get so much faster once they know the routine and you can have more time to practice more words.

CVC Words
Sounding Out Letters

As explained above, make a small ball to go under each letter. Explain that each letter has a sound that goes with it, and it's important to say each sound. Press on each ball as you say the sound of each letter. Then say the word you made.

Instead of 3 small balls, make one long skinny snake to go under the word. Tell students to drag out the sounds a little as they say them, so there is no break between them. We want them to blend together. Let students lightly slide their finger across the snake as they blend the sounds of the letters together.

Use any of the above play-dough set-ups, but with a larger ball underneath the small 3 balls or snake. Sound out or blend, and then press the big ball with your fist as you say the whole word. As students become more proficient, you can drop the sounding out and blending, and just have the big ball for students to say the whole word. Emphasize that as students become more fluent readers, they will be able to read the whole word all at once without sounding out or blending.

Place a short skinny snake under the two blend-letters (ex: bl, cr, sp, nk) and a small ball under each of the other letters. Have students lightly slide their fingers across the snake as they blend the sounds together, and then press on each of the small balls and say their sounds. Then say the whole word together. Point out that the blends' sounds blur together, like sliding across the snake.

Have students place a small ball under each letter, including the letters in the digraph. Then have them take the two balls under the two digraph letters and roll them together to make a bigger ball. They can set the bigger ball underneath the digraph. Point out that combining the balls shows us that both letters come together to make one sound. Have students press on each ball as they say the sound of the digraph and the rest of the letters. Then say the whole word.

*This same strategy can be used for vowel digraphs, diphthongs, and r-controlled vowels.

Place a small ball under each letter, including the silent e. Then take the ball from the silent e and place it over the vowel that it modifies. Talk about how the silent e does not make a sound itself, but it changes the sound that the vowel makes. Then have them combine the silent e ball and the vowel ball to make a bigger ball. Explain that the vowel now makes it's long sound (hence, the bigger ball 😉). Then students can smush the balls under each letter, saying the sound they make (with the long vowel sound) and blend the sounds together to read the word.

Place a ball under each letter (or digraph-one ball per sound), including the silent letter. Then take away the ball under the silent letter and tilt the letter sideways. Explain that some letters are silent and make no sound at all. That is why we take away the ball. Tilting the letter helps us remember not to make a sound for it. Then have students press the rest of the balls and say the sounds to sound out the word.

Use a multi-syllable word. Talk about how looking at chunks of words that you recognize can help you read the word faster. Have students roll out 2 snakes (or however many chunks are in your word), and place them under the "chunks" they recognize. Then have them smush the snakes with their fingers as they read the chunks.

You can also curve the snakes under the chunks to make a "swoop". Students can then lightly slide their fingers along the swoops to blend the chunks together.

You can use a strategy similar to the "Chunking" strategy, but first I like to have them separate the words with a vertical snake, just to help them recognize what words the compound word is made up of. Then have students place a snake under each "small" word, and smush the snakes as they read them. Again, explain that recognizing the smaller words that compound words are made up of can help us read faster than sounding out the word.

Those are just a few fun ideas to add some color 🌈and engagement to your phonics small group lessons or reading interventions. It is amazing what magic and excitement a little ball of play-dough can bring to your classroom! 🌟

For more reading and phonics instruction help, check out these products from my TpT Store!

Filed Under: Tagged With: Reading engagement, Featured, guided reading, Hands On, Intervention, Literacy, Phonics, reading, Teaching

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Use Playdough to Teach Phonics - Katelyn's Learning Studio

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Play Dough for Guided Reading or Intervention Phonics Practice It is a universal law that children love all things colorful, messy, and different. Anything they can feel and squish between their fingers is instant engagement. That's why when things started to get dull and monotonous, I loved pulling out the play-dough.

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Before children learn to read, they must first have an understanding of how sounds work within words. Learning to recognize and produce rhyme is one of the very first phonological skills that children acquire on their way to becoming proficient readers. Working with rhyme is an important component of the early childhood curriculum. Research tells us that most children learn to recognize rhyme by 5 (which words rhyme: cat, bug, rat) and can provide a rhyming word by 5 1/2. When children appreciate rhyme and are able to provide rhyming words, they show that they understand that words are made up of individual speech sounds which can be changed to create different words. That understanding is the basis of reading. Here's a graphic explaining the difference between phonological awareness, phonemic awareness and phonics. For more information, you may wish to visit the Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness and Phonics blog post.

Click the following link to download this handout Phonological-Awareness

There is a developmental sequence for the acquisition of phonological awareness skills. This handout outlines the steps- it's a helpful reference for our preschool and kindergarten teachers.

Click the following link to download this handout Developmental Stages of Phonemic Awareness

Teaching students to recognize and produce rhyme is a whole lot of fun. Using books with rhyme is a great way to introduce this concept. When you read rhyming books, children are exposed to the rhythm of language. Using books in this manner also improves oral language development. Here are a few of my favorite books:

My children are all now in college so digging these books from the depths of the old bookshelves has certainly brought back memories! I loved reading these books to my own children and just couldn't bear to part with them. My all time favorite rhyming book is Jamberry by Bruce Degen. I can tell that our book was very much loved as the spine is nearly falling apart. Of course, you can count on Dr. Seuss for all things rhyme. Green Eggs and Ham and Fox in Socks were two of our favorites. Although not in my own bookshelf, Is Your Mama a Llama and Sheep in a Jeep were two books that I often used when I was teaching preschool.

Matching games are also ideal for teaching students to recognize and produce rhyme. I always like to incorporate a holiday or seasonal theme into the activity. Here's an example of the mitten match game that we use during the cold months of winter:

The candy corn game is certainly a favorite! Students beg for this activity way past Halloween!

These activities are just two of seven contained in the Big Bundle of Rhyme Activities.

The Big Bundle of Rhyme Activities is available through my online Teachers Pay Teachers store or within the Make, Take & Teach website.

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The Importance of Teaching Rhyme - Make Take & Teach

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Before children learn to read, they must first have an understanding of how sounds work within words. Learning to recognize and produce rhyme is one of the very first phonological skills that children acquire on their way to becoming proficient readers. Working with rhyme is an important component of the early childhood curriculum.

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Blending Two Letters

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Two Letter Blends U | Phonological Awareness | Beginning Readers Pre-Readers Phonics Lessons

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Clip Count Cards. Great for ELL and Students needing accomodations because of picture/word association

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Today I'm sharing a free syllable count activity for your preschooler. (This post contains affiliate links.)

Syllable.

How would you definite it?

Just yesterday I was having this conversation with my Seven. As she said, "Well, I know what syllables are. They're so easy! But I don't know how to say what the word syllable means. That's kind of hard."

She's right, I think! Here's one definition:

Syllable.
"a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or part of a word."

And this is a skill for preschoolers?

Thankfully, kids don't need to know that lofty definition or even the difference between vowels and consonants to understand syllables. They're actually quite simple.

To introduce syllables to my Four, I used his name. I don't share my kids' names on this blog, but I'll show you what I mean using some of their middle names.

"Every word has syllables. It's a chunk in a word that you can count. Words can have 1, 2, 3, or even more syllables. How many syllables are in your name? Let's clap them. Ste-phen. (clap/clap) How many did you count?

"Two!"

"That's right! Let's try Emilie. Em-i-lie. (clap/clap/clap) How many syllables?

"Two."

"Let's try again. Em-i-lie. (clap/clap/clap)"

"Three."

"Great! How about Joel? Joel (clap)."

"One."

He enjoyed working through a stack of cards. As he clapped the syllables for each one, his baby sister looked on with interest. Clapping is a skill she mastered just this week! 🙂

A tip: If clapping and counting is hard, have your child put his hand under his chin. He can count how many times his chin lowers as he says a word. Or use a mirror. "How many times does your mouth open when you say that word?"

Finally... if your child can't bear sitting at the table, show him the cards and have him JUMP the syllables! Then let him clip the syllable count before moving on to the next one.

So what's the point of learning syllables anyway? When I was in school we learned it later (early elementary). I remember pages of counting syllables in words in my reading workbook. Boring, but easy. I never understood the point.

There are good reasons this skill has shifted down to pre-readers.

When kids can chunk words into syllables, they can read longer words more quickly, accurately, and fluently.

Beginning spellers do better when they can break words into pieces.

Here are even more free printables!

&

© 2014 - 2018, Anna G. All rights reserved.

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Fun Syllable Count Activity - The Measured Mom

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Today I'm sharing a free syllable count activity for your preschooler. (This post contains affiliate links.) Syllable. How would you definite it? Just yesterday I was having this conversation with my Seven. As she said, "Well, I know what syllables are. They're so easy! But I don't know how to say what the word syllable means.