Rhyming/ Phonemic Awareness

Rhyming is one of the easiest steps in phonemic awareness. So what exactly is phonemic awareness and how can I help my child learn phonemic awareness?

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in our language. For example, “hat” has three phonemes and letters: /h/ /a/ /t/. “Chick” also has three phonemes, but five letters: /ch/ /i/ /ck/. Let’s take a look at “hat”. By changing the first phoneme we can create another word, “sat” (which is rhyming). By changing the last phoneme it creates another word, “ham”. And also by changing the middle phoneme it creates another word, “hot”.

As we learn to read children need to become aware of phonemes as individual parts of words. A simple definition for phonemic awareness is; a child’s ability to manipulate and notice the sound in words.

Rhyming becomes one of the easiest and most basic steps in phonemic awareness. Start rhyming orally. As you drive turn off the electronic devices, talk while cleaning, bathing or cooking, and rhyme with your child.

Read nursery rhymes, rhyming books and Dr. Seuss books to your child. Dr. Seuss is a great source because he uses nonsense rhyming words in many of his books. Say the rhyming words with your child. Have your child make up new words that will rhyme.

A game to play is to say 4 words, three that rhyme and one that doesn’t. Have your child pick the word that does not rhyme: hog, dog, dot, log.

As your child gets older and starts to read and write letters, transfer this phonemic awareness into reading and spelling. Say, “write /a/, now write /t/. What do your have, ‘at’. Now put /h / in front of it. What do you have, ‘hat’. Erase /h/ and what is left, ‘at’. Now add /b/. What do you have, ‘bat’”. If your child is not writing, but can read letters and sounds, you do the writing Transitioning from oral phonemic awareness to reading and spelling is a very important step in learning to read and write.

Instruction in phonemic awareness should be a part of every reading program. Make your child aware of phonemes in words. As always make it fun. Explore literature together. Reading creates emotional bonds. Happy reading!