Going on a Quest

By Judith Maginnis Kuster

An important skill in phonemic/phonological tasks is the ability to hear rhyme and alliteration. Kindergarten teachers often note that many of the children starting school are not familiar with these pre-literacy skills, and some of these children will become part of the caseload of the speech-language pathologist (SLP). "Suggestions on Reading Nursery Rhymes With Children" (www-personal.umich.edu/~pfa/dreamhouse/nursery/reading.html) provides several good ideas on how freely available materials below can be used for working on rhyme and alliteration:

Nursery rhymes

• The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright, beautiful PDF of this entire classic (www.gutenberg.org/etext/10607)
• Nursery Rhyme Club - PDF files of simple activities to accompany nursery rhymes (www.hdsmag.com/contents.html)
• Nursery Rhymes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursery_rhyme)
• Preschool Fingerplays, Action Poems, Nursery Rhymes and Songs (www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-rhymes.htm)
• 48 Mother Goose and nursery rhyme pages to print out and color (www.niteowl.org/kids/index.html)
• Our Favorite Nursery Rhymes includes music and pictures to color. (www.snaithprimary.eril.net/rindex.htm)
• Children's Songs - lyrics and midi format (www.theteachersguide.com/ChildrensSongs.htm)
• Nursery Rhymes - midi format (www.nursery-rhymes.info)
• Rhyme pages (www.EnchantedLearning.com/Rhymes.html) from Enchanted Learning has Word families in nursery rhymes (www.enchantedlearning.com/rhymes/wordfamilies), Rebus rhymes (www.enchantedlearning.com/Rhymes.html) and a Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes Coloring Book (www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/books/rhymesbook)
• Rhymes grouped by theme (www-personal.umich.edu/%7Epfa/dreamhouse/nursery/rhymes.html)

Additional rhyme activities and materials

• DLTK's Educational Activities: Children's Songs, Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes Section contains lyrics, coloring pages, craft ideas, and activity sheets to go with the songs, rhymes and stories. (www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/index.htm)
• Annie's Rhyme Time - answer the riddle with a two-word rhyme (http://teacher.scholastic.com/annie/index.asp)
• Magnetic Poetry - (www.snaithprimary.eril.net/nursery.htm).
• Rhyming Picture Cards (www.kizclub.com/rhymes.html)
• Word Families and Rhyming Words (aslp.byu.edu/BCulatta/projectcall/rhymewordslist.html)
• Rhyme Zone (www.rhymezone.com) has a rhyming dictionary, quizzes, quotations, and more. Check the Mother Goose feature to find your favorite nursery rhymes (www.rhymezone.com/g/goose)
• Jump rope jingles (www.aacs.wnyric.org/donius/jump_rope/rhymes.html) and Jump rope jingles (www.garrard.k12.ky.us/traditions/projects/claps/claps.htm)
• Rhyme a Week: Nursery Rhymes for Early Literacy - colorful pictures, activities, free materials (http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/wil/rimes_and_rhymes.htm)

Tongue Twister

Tongue Twisters provide opportunity for practicing alliteration:

• Tongue Twister Database (www.geocities.com/Athens/8136/tonguetwisters.html)
• Tongue Twisters from The Children's Stomping Ground (www.oink.demon.co.uk/fun/tt/tonguet.htm)
• The International Collection of Tongue Twisters (www.uebersetzung.at/twister/index.htm)
• Mouth Workout (www.elfs.com/MM5%20menu.html) provides tongue twisters loaded with specific problem sounds.
• Long list of tongue twisters for all grades (www.lessonplanspage.com/LAOTongueTwistersCollectionK6.htm)

Judith Kuster is a professor in the Department of Speech, Hearing, and Rehabilitation Services at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Contact her at judith.kuster@mnsu.edu. All of Kuster's Internet columns are on ASHA's Web site in HTML format with active links (www.asha.org/about/publications/leader-online/archives/news.htm), although URLs change and there is no guarantee that links from previous articles are still functional.

Kuster, JM, Rhyme Time, ASHA Leader, November 28, 2006, p. 45.