In Reception this week, we’re listening to rhymes and poems and identifying rhyming words. Hearing and saying rhymes is great for learning to read. Sharing rhymes with young children helps them listen to the patterns of language. Children first begin to notice that certain words have the same sounds at the end (rhyme). Later, they notice that many words share a pattern in the way they are spelt. Understanding these links makes learning to read much easier. You can help by making sure that children hear a lot of rhymes. The rhythm found in poetry is also helpful as there is a rhythm to reading.
You can help your child to “tune in” to rhyme by:
- Sharing nursery rhymes, making them fun by adding actions and body movements
- Reading rhyming stories
- Play games such as ‘I spy with my little eye something that rhymes with …’