Rhyming and learning to read and spell

Abstract

This test assesses the ability to recognise rhyme and alliteration in spoken words. Rhyming is a skill acquired very early by young children, and research shows that the child who has this skill when he comes to school makes better progress in reading and spelling. Rhyming is a natural way of categorising words that have sounds in common, and also a natural way to analyse speech units. Both skills are important when we come to use the alphabetic code to learn to read and to spell. It is a major source of difficulty for older children who are backward at reading or spelling. Yet controlled studies show that children who start school with poor sound recognition skills make good progress when they are given specific training.