by regeniabrabham www.flickr.com
Who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss? I do, and the kids do. My stepson wanted me forever to read Green Eggs and Ham to him at bedtime–even though we had tons of other books. I can say it by heart now. “That Sam I am. That Sam I am.”
My stepson had a terrible time with rhyming words for the longest time. And some people may think this is no big deal. So, a child can’t tell you a word that rhymes with goat or Sam. But the thing about rhyming words is that they teach children about patterns, sounds, and spelling. When children can recognize word patterns, pairs of letters that make certain sounds, and learn to spell these, they are on their way to becoming fluent readers and writers. So, rhyming words, in my opinion, are a big deal.
With my stepson, we used Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat to peak his interest about rhyming words. When we used these Dr. Seuss books with the wonderful photos and loveable characters, he didn’t mind picking out the words that had -at at the end. When we tried to do a “rhyming game” in the car, he wanted no part.
My point is this. . .if you have a child who has trouble noticing or hearing rhyming words, then try Dr. Seuss with them. Get him or her engaged in a story. Put smiles on their faces. Then talk about the rhyming words in the story–even the ones that Dr. Seuss made up! If your child or your students still have smiles on their faces, then why not make a list of the words. Show them how the end of the words are spelled the same and only the beginning letter is changing.
Dr. Seuss was brilliant. Let’s use him and his books with our children to improve their literacy skills!
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