- 10 - 20 mins
- Rhyming, pre-literacy, matching
- Minimal mess
- Requires preparation
Rhyming is an important skill to develop and learn. It teaches children how language works, assists them to experience the rhythm of language as well as hear sounds within words and play with sounds in language (phonological awareness). When children become familiar with rhyming, they learn to predict a similar word- a skill for reading. Engaging in rhyming activities also offer opportunities to learn about groups of words such a hat, mat, cat, rat (pre literacy skills).
This simple and easy rhyming block game will target rhyming skills in a playful, hand’s on and fun way.
What you will need
- Duplo blocks
- Rhyming picture cards
- Double sided tape
- Printer
- Scissors
Activity steps
Setup
- Create a list of rhyming cards on a computer document. I used pictures and words to accompany mine. Alternatively, you could google and download some free rhyming printable cards.
- Cut out each rhyming card and attach to Duplo using double sided tape. I found a stack of 2 Duplo blocks per card worked best. The pictures were clear, and a good size to manipulate.
- Place the rhyming blocks into a basket and you’re ready to play!
How to play
- Ask your child to choose a rhyming block and tell you what picture they have.
- Now ask your child to find its rhyming match. I encouraged my son to speak out loud for this one so that he was able to clearly hear himself and the words to see if they matched.
- If the blocks match, attach them together. If not, keep searching until you find its pair!
- Now choose another block and repeat the process. Continue until you have found all the matching rhymes.
Extension ideas
- Try using multiple rhyming blocks. For example, instead of having one rhyming match, have a few to add together (Cat- mat, sat, rat)
2. For children who are already reading, try using just the words on the block to encourage the sight word recognition and groupings of words.
Learning Outcomes
- Hand eye co-ordination
- Matching
- Fine motor development
- Learn rhyming principles
- Explore with language and speech sounds
Reference sites
We would like to acknowledge these amazing sites that have inspired us to create this activity. Thank you!