Locating Rhyming Pairs Worksheet

Rhyming is one of the first doors into reading. Before a child can blend or spell a word, they have to hear that cap, map and nap all end the same way, and that mop does not. That single act of listening is what turns a memorized word into a family of words a reader can unlock on their own. This Locating Rhyming Pairs Worksheet builds that ear on purpose, using short vowel words a first grader can already sound out.

This rhyming words worksheet gives children five rows to work through. Each row starts with a word in a green box, followed by four words to read. Three of them rhyme with the boxed word and one does not, and the odd word always ends in the same consonant, so a child cannot solve it by looking at the last letter alone. They have to hear the vowel. Children circle the words that rhyme, then write the leftover word from each row on the lines below. Read the rows aloud together the first time, then let children work independently, and use the answer key to check.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• Answer key
• 5 rows of short vowel rhyming practice, 20 words in all
• A 5-item writing section for the word that does not rhyme

There are three reasons this Locating Rhyming Pairs Worksheet helps children learn the skill. First, every word on the page is a short vowel three-letter word, so the reading load stays low and all of a child’s attention goes to the sound. Second, the odd word in each row shares its ending consonant with the boxed word, which quietly forces a child to listen to the middle of the word instead of scanning the end. Third, the writing section turns listening into producing: a child who can hear the difference is asked to spell it, which is where rhyming starts paying off in real reading and spelling.

Say the rows aloud in a sing-song voice before anyone picks up a pencil, and let children clap on each rhyme they hear. Once the page is finished, challenge them to add a fifth word to any family, or to build a silly sentence from one row, such as a pig in a wig. Word family cards, rhyming picture sorts, and a quick game of rhyme tennis, where partners trade rhyming words until someone runs out, all keep the same skill moving. At home, hunt for rhymes in a favorite picture book while you read together.

Related Resources

• Finding Rhyming Words Worksheet
• Matching Rhyming Words Worksheet
• Rhyme It Picture Cards Rhyming Activity
• Alphabet Animals Song by Have Fun Teaching