Word Play For Kids!

Read this poem aloud except for the words underlined. Pause when you get to the underlined words and have your kids fill in the 'blank'.

Rainbow Magic

After the rain, look up high,

A rainbow dances in the sky,

Colors shining, oh so bright,

A magical, cheerful sight.

Red and orange, bold and round,

Yellow like the sun we found,

Green like grass that’s all around,

Blue and indigo, skyward bound.

Violet at the end we see,

A ribbon of colors, wild and free,

It arches over land and sea,

A special gift for you and me.

Count the colors, one by one,

In the sky, so much fun,

A rainbow’s smile after rain is done,

A promise made by the shining sun.

Question: Why are children able to fill in the blanks of  ryhming poems or songs that they've never heard before?

Children are often able to fill in the correct missing words in rhyming poems they've never heard because of their intuitive grasp of language patterns and the predictability of rhymes. Several factors contribute to this ability:

1. Rhyming Patterns: Rhymes follow predictable patterns where certain sounds are repeated at regular intervals. Even without prior exposure to a specific poem, children can anticipate the sound that will complete a rhyme based on the pattern they've observed.

2. Familiarity with Common Words: Many rhyming poems for children use a familiar vocabulary. Children often guess the missing word because it is a common word that fits both the meaning and the rhyme scheme of the poem.

3. Phonological Awareness: This is a child's ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language. Rhyming requires recognizing similar ending sounds, which is a key aspect of phonological awareness. Children develop this skill early on, which helps them predict rhyming words.

4. Context Clues: Even young children use context to make educated guesses about missing words. The surrounding words and the overall theme of the poem provide hints that help children infer the missing words.

5. Exposure to Rhymes: From a young age, children are exposed to nursery rhymes, songs, and books that use rhyming structures. This repeated exposure helps them internalize the patterns and rhythms of rhymes, making it easier for them to predict missing words in new poems.

Take Away

These cognitive and linguistic skills combined enable children to effectively fill in missing words in rhyming poems they've never encountered before.