Rhymes, syllables, and sounds in words (kindergarten) · lesson

Rhymes

💡 Words that rhyme sound the same at the end.

Cat and bat rhyme. They both end with at.

Cat and cap do not rhyme. They start the same, but end in a new way.

🧠 How to think about it

Say the word. Say it once more. Now say the end part. Does the next word end the same way?

rhyme: to sound the same at the end

🏡 Try it at home

Play rhyme time in the car. Say a word like goat. Take turns saying words that rhyme.

First sounds

💡 Every word starts with a sound you can hear.

Say sun slow. The first sound is sss.

Sock starts with sss too. So sun and sock start the same.

🧠 How to think about it

Stretch out the word. Stop on the first sound. Now say the next word. Does it start with that sound?

sound: what you hear when you say part of a word

🏡 Try it at home

Play I spy. Say: I spy something that starts like ball. Take turns.

Middle and last sounds

💡 Words have sounds in the middle and at the end, too.

Bus ends with sss. House ends with sss too.

Pig has an i sound in the middle. So does fish.

🧠 How to think about it

Say the word slow, like a snail. First, middle, last. Which part do you need?

middle: the part in between the start and the end

🏡 Try it at home

Say a short word, like dog. Ask your child for the last sound. Then switch.

Clap the parts

💡 Long words are made of parts we can clap.

Dog has one part. Clap once.

But-ter-fly has three parts. Clap three times.

🧠 How to think about it

Put a hand under your chin. Say the word. Each time your chin drops, that is one part.

syllable: one part of a word you can clap
watermelon: a big green fruit, red inside

🏡 Try it at home

Clap the names of each person in your home. Who has the most claps?

Put parts together

💡 We can push word parts together to make one word.

Rain and bow make rainbow.

Cup and cake make cupcake.

🧠 How to think about it

Say the first part. Say the next part. Now say them fast with no stop.

blend: to push sounds or parts together

🏡 Try it at home

Say two parts, like pan and cake. Your child says the whole word.

Swap a sound

💡 Change one sound and you get a new word.

Cat starts with a c sound. Swap it for a b sound. Now it is bat.

Rug can turn into bug, mug, or hug.

🧠 How to think about it

Keep the end the same. Swap only the first sound. Say the new word.

swap: to take one out and put one in

🏡 Try it at home

Start with the word hat. Take turns swapping the first sound to make new words.