Parent Handout

www.familycenter-pirc.org

A program sponsored by The Family Center of Utah Valley

Rhyme, Rhythm, and Repetition

It’s no accident that nursery rhymes, lullabies, and children’s songs have been passed down from generation to generation. Both children and adults enjoy them! Rhymes and songs usually contain repeated phrases, have rhythm or cadence when spoken or sung, and rhyme, letting language learners hear the similarities in the sounds of words. There are several ways that rhymes and songs can help your child learn.

• Attending to the sounds of language (phonological awareness) is the single best predictor of the ability to learn to read easily. When have you noticed your child listening for or repeating certain sounds in words?

• When children listen fro rhythms, rhymes and repetition, their brains’ language pathways that support literacy development are strengthened and organized. How does your child show that he/she can hear rhythm?

• Children show their understanding of phonological awareness when they rhyme words, notice that some words sound the same, count syllables in words, and remove or replace beginnings and endings of words. What rhyming words or silly word games does your child use?

• The use of poems, rhymes and stories increases your child’s vocabulary by introducing them to uncommon or unfamiliar words. What are some of the words that were new to your child the first time you read a rhyme or story to them?

• Word families that rhyme are common in English. However, many languages do not have rhyming words or verses. Thus, some parents fail to comprehend the value of rhyming activities. What value do you see in having your child play rhyming games?

Encourage your child to play with rhymes, rhythm, and repetition in different ways.

• Play rhyming games with your child.

• Read rhymes and rhyming stories, and as you read, stop before a rhyming word and allow your child to fill in the blank. Rhyme stories invite your child to notice and predict rhyming words.

• Share poems and finger plays to increase your child’s awareness of the sound patterns of speech.

• Point out rhymes in songs and jingles that you hear on the radio or TV.

• Sing nursery rhymes and silly songs together. Dance and move to the rhythm. Make up your own rhymes.

• Point our objects around your home and ask your child to say words that rhyme with them (ball, wall, fall, etc.) or have your child try to guess what an object is when you tell him words that rhyme with it.

• Say three words together. Ask your child which words rhyme (Bill, hill, call). There is no need to direct attention to the spelling of the words. In fact, it might be confusing to do so at this stage.

• Say rhyme through movement, tying physical movement to rhyme. Multi-sensory play is a good way of drawing your attention to rhymes, rhythm and repetition.

Adapted from Parents As Teachers National Center, Inc.