Rhyming + Why Your Kids Learn Better Through Rhymes

A ‘rhyme‘ is a repetition of similar sounds (or the same sound) in two or more words, most often in the final syllables of lines in poem and songs. Rhyming consists of rhythm and repetition, and through being exposed to songs or poems that rhyme, a child’s language skills begin to develop even before they’re able to verbalise actual words.

Rhymes have such a great positive impact on a young child’s language and literacy development. Some of its benefits are:

1. They are good for the brain – in addition to teaching children how language works, rhyming also helps them experience the rhythm of language. They also learn to anticipate the rhyming word, which prepares them to make predictions when they read.
2. They help develop listening & writing skills – rhymes are a great way into learning early Phonics skills (ability to hear, identify and manipulate letter sounds). It also helps children understand that words that share common sounds often share common letters. (For example: the rhyming words ‘man‘ and ‘ran‘ both end with ‘-an‘.)
3. They are a fun group activity – nursery rhymes allows all kids to build up their self-confidence, and they can do so through singing, dancing, and performing because they are fun and easy to pick up.
4. They follow a clear sequence of events & improve vocabulary – Nursery rhymes often tell a story (which contains a beginning, middle & end). Through the engagement of a sequence of events (i.e. the story), your child will pick up the skill of following and understanding, which they need when they start reading. Through rhymes, children will also hear and use new words that they might not come across every day.

Extra!
Here is a site featuring an impressive list of common & popular nursery rhymes that you can download (+ print out)!

Hope you have fun rhyming with your kids – work on fostering that closer & stronger bond today! 🙂

To read more of Ms Liz’s awesome tips for your child, check out our list of Educational Materials!