Why is rhyming important for learning to read?

Rhyming teaches children to listen to the ending part of a word separately from its beginning. That ability to hear the parts of words is part of phonological awareness, which supports later phonics. A child who hears that cat, hat and mat share an ending is also ready to see that they share letters, which is the idea behind word families.

What is the difference between rhyming and word families?

Rhyming is a listening skill: hearing that two words end with the same sound, with no letters needed. Word families add print, grouping words that share the same ending letters, such as -at in cat, hat and sat. Most children work on rhyming first, then move on to word families once they know some letter sounds.

How many Preschool rhyming worksheets are there?

38 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

What age are rhyming worksheets for?

These are written for preschool children, roughly ages 3-5. Start with the first few pages, use the free preview to judge the fit, and come back to harder ones as your child gets steadier.

Does my child need to know how to write for these rhyming worksheets?

No. Most pages ask children to circle, match, color, or cut and paste, and a grown-up can read the instructions aloud, so children do not need to read or write yet.

Can I use these rhyming worksheets for homeschool?

Yes. Nothing here assumes a classroom of 25, so they work the same one-to-one at the kitchen table as they do in a Preschool classroom, a learning center, or a tutoring session.

Preschool Rhyming Worksheets

Ages 3-5 · 38 worksheets · 38 answer keys · Print-ready PDFs

Two words rhyme when they end with the same sound, like cat and hat or bug and rug. Hearing rhymes is one of the earliest ways young children notice that words are made of smaller sound parts, and many 3- and 4-year-olds pick it up through songs, nursery rhymes and picture books before any letters are involved.

Every one of these 38 pages works by listening, not reading. Children say picture names aloud and draw a line between two pictures that rhyme, circle yes or no to show whether two picture names rhyme, and circle the one picture in a group of three that does not rhyme with the others. Because the words come from pictures, a grown-up can name each picture first for a child who is unsure. Answer keys are included for all 38.

Written by Adi Ackerman, Head Teacher

Preschool Reading Rhyming Clear All

Rhyming▼

Match the rhymes - -ag and more

GradePreschool

Preschool Rhyming Worksheets

Frequently Asked Questions

At what age do children understand rhyming?