Is rhyme important in teaching young children to read?

Question

If so, how do you teach it to your preschooler (aside from reading nursery rhymes)?

Answer 1

Get some flash cards with words that rhyme

Answer 2

Check out  janebelkmoncure.com She has many excellent books. You can also find at your local library.

Answer 3

Hearing rhymes helps young children to develop a sensitivity to sounds in words and is very valuable in learning to read.  Check this web site for a little more detail:

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/ECRR/ecrrinp...

Say simple poems and sing simple songs with your child.  Check this web site for some songs and finger plays:

http://www.preschooleducation.com/song.s...

Your child will love these songs and activities.  When you see how it works, make up your own.  You can incorporate rhymes, music and songs daily into your routine and your child will enjoy it and so will you!  Go to the library and ask for rhyming books.  There are lots of them and they are so much fun.  Dr. Seuss books are fantastic.  Also, see if they have Lynley Dodd's Hairy McLairy books.  They were favorites of my own children.  

Your child won't understand rhyming well enough at first to make up his own rhymes, but he will gradually catch on and soon he will be able to rhyme words himself.  Remember, rhymes don't have to make sense.  They can be just sounds, so when he says "dog-mog...does that rhyme, Mom?"  the answer is Yes, it does rhyme!  Go for it.  You will be helping your child learn to read while having a lot of fun!

Answer 4

Dr Seuss start with the abc book.

Answer 5

Absolutely! Research has shown a direct connection between  children that understand rhyme and early readers. I play games with my students such as......

Higgily Piggily Bumblebee,

Who can make a rhyme for me?

(While the students chant they slap their knees to keep a rhythm going. Then I give a word like...."cat".  I select a student to give me a word that rhymes with cat. They might say, "bat". Then we slap our knees as we say the two words ....."Cat/ bat, cat/ bat, cat/bat".......Then we start over again. Kids LOVE this game and it teaches them to rhyme.