Rhyming Pairs Basket

What you need

• a basket
• rhyming pairs from round the house: a sock and a block, a hat and a toy cat, a toy frog and a toy dog

How to do it

1. Tip the things out of the basket onto the floor.
2. Pick one up and say its name, then ask your child to find the thing that rhymes with it: "Sock... what rhymes with sock?"
3. Put each rhyming pair side by side and say them together: sock, block.
4. Mix them up and let them find the pairs on their own, then add a silly made-up word to each pair.

Why it matters

Holding two things that rhyme lets them hear and see the match at once, and a made-up word that rhymes is as good as a real one.

What they're learning

Hearing rhymes

Sock and block end with the same sound.

Matching pairs

Finding the one thing that goes with another.

Playing with words

Making up a word just because it rhymes.

What to look for

Notice them saying two words under their breath to check if they rhyme.

A tip

Check each small toy is too big to fit through a toilet roll tube. Choose short words with a clear end sound, and check each pair rhymes the way you say it.

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