Benefits of Reading Rhymes to Children

There are many, many reasons to read rhymes to children. I've highlighted four big reasons below, but the main point not listed here is IMAGINATION. I left this out because, as a parent, you are focused on a child's speech, language development, reading comprehension, and the list goes on. Rarely do we worry about their sense of imagination, but I am here to tell you how important it actually is.

Imagination.

When you create a rhyme for any reason, you need to go through the list of words that, well, rhyme with each other. This process opens the door to so many variations and possibilities of what could be. The story you were writing before could have gone from "a little boy went to school, then left to go swimming in a pool" to "a little boy went to school, then caught a plane to Istabul." A child's brain observes this process the same, but tenfold. We, as adults, find a word that rhymes and determine if something doesn't make sense. However, children are still learning what is fathomable and what isn't, so having them run through different possibilities can expand their mind to out-of-the-box ideas, simply because some words fit. Then the story takes on a life of its own.

To Start...

Try this activity to begin the journey of rhyming. Rather than discovering words that rhyme off the bat, let's practice "Finding the Rhyme" with words provided to the child!

Be sure to check back in with more updates on writing and rhyming.

Mommy, Am I? Children's Book

Something else that can help is the children's book, Mommy, Am I?, that tells the story about a little boy named Theo who goes to the zoo, and with every animal he passes by, he believes he is becoming one! "Mommy, I have big hands, am I a lion?"

Capturing the essence of a child's imagination, this book sets the bar high when teaching about self-love and celebrating all that makes you different in a funny and light-hearted way. Bonus: Find out if Theo is really an animal or a little boy in the end!

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