Rhyming Words Pairs Worksheet

Hearing which words rhyme

Two words rhyme when they end with the same sound, and hearing that match is one of the first things a kindergarten reader learns to do. This Rhyming Words Pairs Worksheet gives children a small, quiet set of three-letter words and asks them to listen for the ending those words share. Rhyme is where phonemic awareness begins: a child who can hear that cat and hat finish the same way is already pulling a word into a beginning sound and an ending chunk, which is the exact move that reading an unfamiliar word will ask for later. It is also what makes word families make sense, because at, ig, ed and ug stop being spelling patterns on a chart and start being sounds a child already recognises.

This kindergarten rhyming worksheet has two parts. In the first, four words run down the left side of the page with four more opposite them, and the child draws a line between the two that rhyme. The words are printed large in a primary handwriting face so a five-year-old can read them unaided, and the lane between the two columns is wide enough for an unsteady pencil line. In the second part a green word begins each row and three more words follow it; the child reads the first word and circles the one that rhymes with it. Only one choice in each row can be defended, so a child who is guessing finds out straight away. The answer key is on the second page.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• 4 rhyming pairs to match with a line
• 3 circle-the-rhyme rows with three word choices each
• 1 answer key

Three reasons this helps kids

First, every word on the page is a three-letter word a kindergarten child can sound out, so nothing competes with the listening the task is really about. Second, the two parts ask for the same skill in two different ways: matching a pair is a recognition task, while picking the rhyme out of three choices asks the child to reject two words as well as accept one, which is harder and shows whether the sound is truly being heard. Third, the answers are spread across the page rather than lining up in order, so the child cannot finish by pairing the first word with the first word and has to read every line.

Ideas for teachers and parents

Read the eight words in the matching section aloud together before any pencil touches the page, and ask the group to clap when two words end the same way. Print this Rhyming Words Pairs Worksheet for a small group and cover the right-hand column, then say one word at a time and let the children call out a rhyme of their own before they see the choices. Ask a child to explain why pin does not rhyme with top, since saying the ending out loud is the whole strategy. The page also works well beside a familiar picture book: read a rhyming page twice and let the children finish the second line themselves.

Related Resources

• Finding Rhyming Words Worksheet
• Locating Rhyming Pairs Worksheet
• Rhyme It Picture Cards Rhyming Activity
• Simile Song (Original Music Video)