Rhyming Pairs Memory Game
To develop rhyme recognition and phonological awareness through a paired rhyming game.
- Framework: EYFS
- Unit: EYFS Literacy
- Learning area: Literacy
- Level: EYFS 3-4
Objectives
- Identifies rhyming pairs
- Explains why words rhyme
- Generates own rhyming words
- Builds rhyme families
Materials
- Rhyming pairs picture cards
- Small group game space
- Rhyme check list
- Challenge extension cards
Instructions
Prepare (or purchase) a memory game with rhyming picture pairs: cat/hat, dog/log, sun/bun, chair/bear, cake/snake, king/ring, moon/spoon, frog/log. Each pair shares the same end sound — rime.
Play the game with a small group of two to four children. Turn all cards face down. Players take turns turning two cards. 'Turn one over — it's a cat. Turn another — it's a hat. CAT... HAT. Do they rhyme? They do! Cat, hat — same ending sound!'
Model checking for rhyme explicitly: 'I need to listen to the end of the words. Cat ends in... AT. Hat ends in... AT. Same! They rhyme! A match!'
Celebrate genuine thinking: 'You turned over 'sun' and 'moon'. Do they rhyme? Let's check — sun ends in UN, moon ends in OON. Different! Not a rhyme. Turn them back over and try to remember where they are.'
For children who are confident rhymers, extend: 'What other words rhyme with cat and hat? Let's make a family: cat, hat, bat, fat, mat, sat, rat, flat!' Building rhyme families develops the rime unit as a phonological concept.
After the game, play 'Odd One Out': 'Cat, hat, bus. Which one doesn't rhyme? Bus! Bus doesn't rhyme with cat and hat.' This more demanding task requires active comparison.