Pass the Rhyme Game

How many rhymes can you find? Taking turns with this simple game challenges your preschooler’s language, social and hand-eye coordination skills at the same time!

MATERIALS - click to buy

1. Small ball or bean bag like these found on Amazon, about 2 to 5 inches in size. You can use anything, a toy, a spoon, a rock … as long as it’s small enough for your child to hold in their hand.

HOW TO

1. Skilly Spark: Can you remember what rhyming words are? They sound alike, but they're two different words with different letters. Let’s think of some words that rhyme. How about cat and bat? Now can you think of a word that rhymes with dog? Let’s have a game and see how many words we can say that rhyme.  
2. Holding your small ball or bean bag, start the game by saying a word like “ball.”
3. After you say the word, pass the ball to your child.
4. Now it’s your little ones turn to think of a word that rhymes with “ball,” like “fall,” and to say it out loud.
5. Then your child passes the ball back to you! Think of another word that rhymes with your child’s word, like “call.” Now say that word out loud.
6. Then pass the ball back to your child. Keep on going until either of you can’t think of another rhyming word.
7. Let your preschooler start over with a new word to rhyme, like “boat.”  
8. Keep the fun going as long as it holds your preschooler’s attention.

Keep the fun going

• Cut it out! Use pictures from a magazine or newspaper as starting words for your next game. Matching words with images will encourage your preschooler's emergent reading. Find out more about early literacy in our blog, Support Your Preschooler’s Language Development, Part 2-½, Emergent Reading.
• Add a couple of your child’s friends and have a group rhyming game.
• Stuck at waiting somewhere? Pass the time with a quiet version of the Pass the Rhyme!