Take the Time to Rhyme!

 

*Information from the article "Hickory Dickory Dock, nursery rhymes are a building block" written by Jodi Mailander Farrell in the Monday, January 25, 1999 issue of the Morning Call

The article suggests that rhymes: provide a connection between learning rhymes and developing early prereading skills provide a link to understanding syllables and phonemes-the "building blocks to literacy" contribute to a child's vocabulary and understanding of language some studies show the better children are at detecting rhymes (evidence that they know something about the sounds that make up words), the quicker and more successful is their reading when children rhyme, they recognize that words have parts; when you rhyme the last part of a word, you realize the part and what sound it is

Recommendation for Parents: When it comes down to it, it's the rhymes that are important, not the sources (Dr. Seuss/modern vs. Mother Goose/traditional) Make it PLAYFUL! Don't just read it aloud, but make a game of it (eg. driving in the car) Help children see the pleasure in rhyming and they'll want to explore words! Rhyming can be done in any language. However, it is best to start in a child's first language.