Hop on Pop and Rhyming

Once kids get the hang of opposites, they somehow just "get it".  Not so much with rhyming!  This is a much harder concept for some kids, because they have to be able to hear that two or more words have the same ending sound.

 

In Circle, we read:

and played a game called Rhyming Basket.  I filled a basket with small toys/supplies from around the room, one for each child.  I gave a child the basket and called out a word that rhymed with an object in the basket.  For example, I said "rain", and a child pulled out the train.  It was a fun game, and they really had to think about which object rhymed with the word I called!  You could easily play this at home with anything you have.  When you call out a word, it can be something real or made up.

 

To practice rhyming, we played a picture matching game with words that rhyme.  (I made the cards, because I couldn't find exactly what I wanted online.)  I placed the cards on the table, face up, and asked the kids to find rhyming pairs.  Below, a student found hat and cat.  You can play a rhyming game at home using items from around the house.  For example, you can gather items such as a sock, rock, ball, doll, etc.  Have your kid pick out two items at a time that rhyme.

For fine motor practice, we played a rainbow pom pom drop using tweezers.  The children were given a bowl of poms in all different colors, and they used the tweezers to pick up one at a time.  They placed each pom in its coordinating cup (labeled with the same color star).

We introduced the March sensory tubs to the kids as well.  The base is made up of a pasta called "acini di pepe".  I have no clue how to pronounce that, but it looks like tiny gold nuggets, which I thought was perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

 

Other items in the March sensory tubs include:

• green plastic cup with green flower
• sparkly green pom poms
• green shamrock coins
• green beads, lids and a chenille spring
• bunny and butterfly erasers
• green spoon for scooping
• shamrock cookie cutter
• black pot with popsicle stick leprechaun

 

Other activities of the day included:

• completing a rhyming worksheet
• number puzzle
• train center

 

Another easy way to practice rhyming is just to say a word and have your kid rhyme another word.  It can be real or made up, as long as it has the same ending sound.

 

Have a rhyming good time without spending a dime!