Children are surrounded by rhyme: they’re in picture books, songs, nursery rhymes, and on the television shows they watch. And although rhyming comes naturally to lots of kids, the concept itself can seem somewhat foreign.
This was the case with one classroom in particular at my school; a speech therapist came to me looking for song ideas that teach rhyming. I’m sure there are many great ones out there already, but in my usual fashion, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to write a new song.
A rhyme is when you repeat a sound again,
It usually happens at the end
Of a line in a song or poetry,
Now let’s try it, you and me.
Time to rhyme, fill in the blanks if you know
The missing word, ready, set, go!
During class we sit in our seat,
We do not stand up on our (pause) feet.
We brush our teeth before we go to bed,
Then on the pillow we rest our (pause) head.
CHORUS
In the winter, snow will fall,
We can make a round snow- (pause) ball.
In the spring, a flower grows,
We can smell it with our (pause) nose.
CHORUS
Look outside and see the sun,
Shining down on every- (pause) one.
Following all the rules is cool,
When we’re swimming in the (pause) pool.
A rhyme is when you repeat a sound again,
It usually happens at the end
Of a line in a song or poetry,
Thanks for rhyming along with me.
Not only does this song explain (very briefly and basically) the definition of a rhyme, but it gives the students several opportunities for correctly rhyming given words. The sentences give a context for the missing word, and most of my verbal students have been successful at completing the rhymes so far.
The fun thing about this song is that you can always change the sentences in each verse to appeal to your own students, or to make the rhymes easier or harder as needed. Better yet, let the kids write new sentences! Coming up with rhymes is one of my favorite aspects of songwriting; it’s a challenge, but a fun one.
Do you know of any other songs that teach rhyming? One of my favorites for flexing my students’ rhyming muscles is “Down by the Bay”
Great song! I've written several that focus more on a prerequisite to rhyming (onset-rime) – keeping the rime the same and just changing the beginning letter or onset. For example, take the c away from cat, put in a b and you get bat! My kids' all time favorite is "Willoughby, Wallaby, Woo" (recorded by Raffi and others, probably). The chord structure is pretty simple, just I – V/V – V – I. They like it best when we sing their names: "Willoughby, Wallaby, Wathy, An elephant sat on Kathy, Willoughby, Wallaby, Wachel, An elephant at on Rachel!" I pause and let them fill in the names.