Rhyme Pairs Memory Match
Flip cards to find rhyming picture pairs.
Words
Match
How to run it
Require both words to be said aloud on every flip, right or wrong. The saying is the practice and the matching is the game — without that rule a child can play a whole round in silence. When a pair is found, say them together and stretch the shared ending: c-at, h-at. Ten minutes covers a full round with the naming rule.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentSay the item and wait 5 seconds for the student's answer.Log as correct
- Stretch itSay the word again slowly, stretching the sounds or tapping the syllables.Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two answers, the right one not always second.Log as cued
- ModelDo it yourself, tapping as you go, then the student does it after you.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use pictures, fewer items, and words with fewer sounds.
Take the pictures away, or move on to syllable work: clapping and counting syllables.
Matching IEP goal
Given spoken words, such as 'cat' and 'dog', Student will judge whether two words rhyme in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than one repetition.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Eleven rhyming pairs to find in a memory game: cat and hat, dog and log, sun and bun, bed and red, pig and wig, car and star, moon and spoon, cake and rake, tree and bee, book and hook, mouse and house. Rhyme is usually the first phonological awareness skill to appear and the one children find easiest to hear, which makes it worth more time than it usually gets.
What to listen for
Watch for matching by meaning. A child who pairs dog with log correctly may be doing it by sound or by chance, and one who pairs cat with dog has categorised, which is a different skill. Notice whether the child can produce a rhyme as well as recognise one — asking for another word that rhymes with cat is much harder and is the next step.
Carrying it home
Rhyming is the easiest phonological skill to practise anywhere. Nursery rhymes and silly rhyming games in a car both build it, and neither requires anything to be prepared.
What's in this activity
- cat hat
- dog log
- sun bun
- bed red
- pig wig
- car star
- moon spoon
- cake rake
- tree bee
- book hook
- mouse house
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten and first grade, at the start of phonological awareness work.
- Do I need to sign in?
- No, the whole game plays free in the browser.
- Why does rhyming matter for reading?
- Because it is the first sign a child can attend to sound rather than meaning. Rhyme awareness usually develops before the phoneme-level skills that decoding depends on.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.