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Rhyme Time

Run the Rhyme Time MicroSim Fullscreen

About This MicroSim

Rhyme Time is a matching game that helps kindergarten students develop rhyme recognition - a gateway phonemic awareness skill. Children who can identify rhymes typically progress well to more complex sound manipulation tasks essential for reading.

Features

  • 15 Rhyming Pairs: Common rhyming words with friendly emoji pictures
  • Audio Support: Each word is spoken when clicked
  • Visual Feedback: Cards highlight when selected, animate when matched
  • Match Animation: Cards fly together when a rhyme is found
  • Celebration Effects: Star particles celebrate each match
  • Score Tracking: Tracks matches found and attempts made
  • Replayability: New game shuffles different pairs each time

How to Play

  1. Click a card to hear the word and select it
  2. Click another card to try to find its rhyming partner
  3. Match words that end with the same sound (cat/hat, dog/frog)
  4. Watch the cards animate together when you find a rhyme
  5. Continue until all pairs are matched!

Rhyming Pairs Include

  • cat / hat
  • dog / frog
  • cake / snake
  • bee / tree
  • star / car
  • moon / spoon
  • fish / dish
  • house / mouse
  • boat / goat
  • rain / train
  • bell / shell
  • king / ring
  • And more!

Iframe Example

You can include this MicroSim on your website using the following iframe:

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/reading-for-kindergarten/sims/rhyme-time/main.html"
        height="472px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, students will be able to:

  1. Remember: Recall that rhyming words share ending sounds
  2. Understand: Explain why two words rhyme or don't rhyme
  3. Apply: Match rhyming words from a set of options
  4. Analyze: Compare word endings to determine if words rhyme

Suggested Activities

  1. Rhyme Sort: Before playing, have students sort picture cards into rhyming groups
  2. Rhyme Chain: After matching, create chains of additional rhyming words
  3. Body Rhymes: Act out rhyming pairs (hop like a frog, pet a dog)
  4. Nonsense Rhymes: Make up silly rhyming words after playing

Assessment Opportunities

  • Observe which pairs students match quickly vs. with difficulty
  • Note if students use phonological awareness or random guessing
  • Track improvement in attempts needed across multiple games

Differentiation

  • Support: Start with just 2 pairs; focus on word families (-at, -og)
  • Challenge: Have students generate additional rhyming words for each pair

Connection to Reading

Rhyme recognition helps children notice that words are made of smaller sound units. This awareness transfers to: - Recognizing word families in reading - Spelling by analogy (if I can spell "cat," I can spell "hat") - Decoding new words by noticing patterns

Technical Notes

  • Uses p5.js for interactive graphics
  • Web Speech API for word pronunciation
  • Web Audio API for feedback sounds
  • Touch and mouse input supported
  • Responsive design adapts to container width

References