Why is rhyming important? We’ve got the answer!
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Do you know what’s one of the best predictors of how well a kindergartner will learn to read? It’s if he knows his nursery rhymes.
Jack and Jill went up the hill.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?
Jack Sprat would eat no fat. His wife would eat no lean.
All those nonsensical verses from your childhood really do matter. They matter, because they rhyme. Rhyming is fun. And it’s a very important part of reading success.
Why is rhyming important?
1. Rhyming teaches children how language works. It helps them notice and work with the sounds within words.
2. Rhymes help children experience the rhythm of language. As they recite nursery rhymes they learn to speak with animated voices. Someday they’ll read with expression, too.
3. When children are familiar with a nursery rhyme or rhyming book, they learn to anticipate the rhyming word. This prepares them to make predictions when they read, another important reading skill.
4. Rhyming is important for writing, too. It can help children understand that words that share common sounds often share common letters. For example, the rhyming words cat and bat both end with –at.
5. When listening to rhyming songs and poems children create a mental picture, expanding the imagination.
6. Because rhyming is fun, it adds joy to the sometimes daunting task of learning to read.
Also read: How to teach your child to rhyme
Get free rhyming resources!
We love listening to these nursery rhyme songs in the car!
Teach nursery rhymes with our letter books
You’ll also love our nursery rhyme pack…
© 2016 – 2018, Anna G. All rights reserved.
Emily says
This is great – I never knew 🙂 Thank you for posting this!
Anna Geiger says
Thanks for checking it out, Emily!
Ana says
Thank very much for your post. I was looking for this information long time ago.
Anna Geiger says
You’re very welcome, Ana!
Kathy says
Hi Anna,
I am a retired Jr. K/Kinder teacher. I left all my teaching supplies with the new teacher so when asked by several parents to tutor their struggling beginner readers I had nothing. So happy to find your blog. Thank you sooooooo much for all you are sharing!!!!!
Anna Geiger says
I’m so glad you found my blog, Kathy! I hope you find lots of things here that can help you with your tutoring. 🙂
Lou Hunley says
Hi,
I loved your article and I used your points in my blog post-https://librarianlou.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/more-rhyming-books/
Mostly I promote reading by promoting books. I loved your ideas. I linked back to your post.
Look forward to reading more of your blog.
Anna Geiger says
Thank you for linking to my post, Lou! I agree that the best way to encourage reading is to promote great books!
Liz says
Hi I am currently going to school to obtain a Masters in early literacy and I happened upon your article about rhymes and nursery rhymes. I am wondering if you can tell me the resources you used to get her your information. Was it from a educational text book or a professional journal. It would really help as I am doing an inquiry project about nurseryrhymes and fluency.
Thank you
lizibalio@yahoo.com
Anna Geiger says
Hi Liz,
I wrote this post three years ago, so I don’t remember my exact references. A lot of what I write here are things I have learned and internalized after years of teaching and earning my own master’s degree. I’m sorry I can’t give you more information!
Lore Olaes says
Thank you! I needed this reminder of the value of nursery rhymes!
ADAM & Mila - Emil says
This is really insightful, thank you! I love rhyming with Adam, it’s just so much fun – but I never really thought about its usefulness. The printable games look great, can’t wait to try them out 🙂
Anna Geiger says
Thank you!
Danielle says
Hi, I’ve also just finished a post on rhyming a week or so back before I read this: I’ve added a reference now since it reinforces what I was trying to say, hope you get the trackback. I also feel that rhyme is a great way for kids to get their heads around the really confusing task of the (non phonetic) English sounds.
Anna Geiger says
Yes, I received the pingback, Danielle. Thank you for linking to me!
Joan says
Ana, I love to write in rhyme and I love the way you’ve presented this , but how do I find the list of rhyming books you mentioned. I can’t seem to find out. Thanks so much for your news letter I always look forward to it.
Anna G says
Thanks for the heads up! It’s now back at the end of this post: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/the-ultimate-list-of-books-that-rhyme/
Gail says
I never understood the “educational” value to rhymes. Thanks for this post. This year is my first experience teaching kids so young (K-3). I have SO much to learn!
Julia S says
Here’s an interesting article on the value of teaching rhyme:
https://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/shanahan-on-literacy/rhyming-ability-important-reading