Play a matching game to encourage recognition of rhyming words. Gather a variety of items or pictures of items that rhyme; a cat and a hat, a frog and a log and a fish and a dish, for example. Offer each child one of the objects and place the remaining objects on the floor. Ask children to name the objects in their hands and then invite them to locate the object on the floor that rhymes with the item they are holding. Once each child locates match, ask them to share the items they are holding to confirm if they rhyme and to further instill an understanding of the concept.
Promote the concept of rhyme with this rhyming partner game. On pairs of index cards, draw pictures of items that rhyme and distribute one card to each child in the class. Encourage children to locate the person who is holding an index card that rhymes with the image that is drawn on their index cards. Once students find their rhyming partners, have them sit down next to each other. Invite partners to share their rhyming words with the class.
Use the traditional game of bingo to teach preschoolers the concept of rhyme. Purchase blank bingo cards and place images of items inside each of the squares on the cards. Feature different images on each card, or arrange the images in different locations on each card. Distribute the cards to students and provide them with bingo chips. State a word and instruct students to look for a picture that rhymes with the word you have stated. If students can make a rhyme, they mark the picture with a chip. The first child to cover a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line with chips wins the game.
Get your students active with this rhyming game. Have children sit down on the ground and state pairs of words aloud. If the pair does not rhyme, students sit and if the pair does rhyme, they stand. If a child sits when she's supposed to stand or stands when she's supposed to sit, she is out of the game. Continue playing, saying the words quicker as you go. The last child standing wins the game.