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September 5, 2008

Make it rhyme

By Tom Bartley

Rhyming helps children to understand that words are made up of sounds and that words themselves can be silly and interesting. When you play rhyming games with your child, you help him to hear the patterns of sound within the words. Children need to be able to hear these patterns before they can connect letters with the sounds they stand for - that is, before they start reading and writing. Poems that have rhymes and rhythm capture children's ears and hearts. And, when you enjoy playing with language, your child will too.



With babies:

Sing nursery rhymes or rhyming songs, such as the "Eency Weensy Spider," "Ring Around the Rosie," or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” over and over again.

Make up rhymes to the words you use every day. For example, when you are changing your baby's diaper, say, "Now we're going to change your diaper and I'm using a wiper to change your diaper ...”



With toddlers:

Switch the name of a word by changing a single letter. Ask, "Who wants reans and bice [instead of beans and rice] for dinner?"

Read poems and stories that rhyme. Dr. Seuss is an old favorite and a master at rhymes and silly words.



With preschoolers:

String together words that rhyme: "Cat, hat, bat, sat, pat." Say a word, then have your child say one that rhymes.

Practice tongue twisters, like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" or "Sally sells seashells by the seashore," or make up your own.



With all children:

Read, read, read aloud everyday. A child who is read to just 20 minutes a day will hear one million words a year.

Children love books with rhyme and rhythm. Studies* have shown that a 3 year olds' knowledge of the following 5 nursery rhymes predicted future success in phonemic awareness and reading acquisition:



Humpty Dumpty,

Hickory Dickory Dock,

Jack and Jill,

Baa Baa Black Sheep, and

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."



Remember the following little rhyme from Civitas: Bits of Understanding:



For sure success in life and school,

Words are a special, needed tool.



For talking, reading, and for fun,

Words are the way to get things done.



So how to teach this, what's the way?

Use rhymes and word play every day.



He'll have fun with you

and learn something too!



Spending time with your child as you play with words will help him learn to love language. So whether your child is six, four, or two, rhyming and word games are great tools for you!



Tom Bartley is a retired educator and currently is the Director of Success By 6 at the Family Support Council, 1529 Waring Road. He can be reached at P.O. Box 1707, Dalton, GA 30722; fax # 706-275-6542; or HYPERLINK "mailto:successby6@email.com" successby6@email.com. For a copy of this article and more information about The Family Support Council, visit www.familysupportcouncil.org.







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