Children need to grow up in a home that is rich in language. Children who have been talked to and who are given opportunities to play with the sounds of language begin to develop language skills that will last their whole lives. It is important for you, as a parent, to spend some time sharing the fun that can be had with words in a variety of learning games and activities. Children need to understand that learning about words and playing with those words can help form a solid foundation for later academic success.
One of the best ways to help your child learn about words and their sounds is through a wide variety of rhyming books, games and activities.
Research shows that learning how to manipulate words through rhyme and word play is an important reading skill. This page offers some ideas to help develop this critical reading skill.
* Help your child memorize nursery rhymes if they haven't already! Repeat them over and over. Enjoy the rhythm and rhyming patterns. Find the word families like dock and clock, spoon and moon, or Peep and sheep.
* Read rhyming stories to your child on a regular basis.
* Play a quick rhyming game with your child every day. Listen carefully to words your child says and then create some words that rhyme with your child's words. For example, your child might say, "I played in the park." You might say, "I played in the dark." You child might say, "Look at the cat." You might say, "Oh, look at that." Keep this activity playful and fun!
* Invite your child to point to objects around the house. Ask your child to say the name of the object. For example, if your child points to the table, you might say "Mable". If your child points to the chair, you might say, "pair". If your child points to a spoon, you might say "moon". Again, this should be a playful and fun time.
* Memorize a tongue twister. Enjoy the alliteration of Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
* Make up your own rhyming verses. Kids especially love to create.They don't even have to write them down. Saying the rhymes out loud helps a student hear and identify the sounds.
* Make up "Hink Pinks." This is a fun car game and develops a critical reading skill. Kids can really get into this game as they makeup riddles such as, "What is a plate for tuna?" A fish dish. Or, "Name a small, stinging insect." A wee bee. A fun book to help you get started is The Hink Pink Book or What do you call a Magician's ExtraBunny? By Marilyn Burns.
Learning activities such as these are important to your child's success as a reader. Have fun playing with rhymes!