I grew up on a diet of books by the master rhymer, Dr. Seuss. I devoured Green Eggs and Ham, the Sneetches and that crazy cat on the loose. As a teacher for 20 years, I did lots of rug read alouds. Rhyme sure does please the little listener crowds. Parents will find that rhyme gives children a feeling of success. They are able to predict words. They love to shout out a guess. That is what's called a cloze and, yes, it's spelled with a Z. In my books, predictable rhyming patterns make clozing easy. Take for example, in MY MAMA EARTH, my second children's book title. Students guess the ending words; that brain engagement is vital. I say, "My Mama makes the hippos snore and mighty lions proudly ________." Clozing keeps them on their toes so reading isn't a bore. My most recent Scholastic book, ABC SCHOOL'S FOR ME, features bears at school making all sorts of creations. Students can predict the rhyming words using Lynn Munsinger's colorful illustrations.
Authors are discouraged from writing in rhyme by most publishers, of course. Editors receive a lot of rhyme that is, what we call, forced. But, there are those of us who continue to publish in rhyme, confident that children's love of verse will stand the test of time. Rhyme helps students learn language patterns like: might, tight, bright, sight. This impacts their spelling long term, so they get more words right. You can teach them that words live in a rhyming family. The "cat, sat, mat" words fill up the "AT" family tree. Research shows that children who detect rhyme orally in their early years are much more successful as the time for reading print nears. Even "pre-readers" enjoy rhyme although they're not decoding books yet. As for that Common Core Kinder rhyme standard -- consider it met! Rhyming is fun and can even be silly sometimes. Dr. Seuss still offers the best example of funny, whimsical rhymes. Novels in verse are becoming more popular for sure. The most recent Newbery was awarded to Kwame's THE CROSSOVER.
The English language has so many exceptions to the rules. English language learners benefit from having rhyme as one of their literacy unlocking tools. Children like songs and poems, both of which are different forms of rhyme. Prose has a purpose and place too -- you can't rhyme all the time. But, rhyming helps children tune their ears and change out sounds. Rhyming is a natural part of jump roping on playgrounds. Ms. Mary Mack Mack Mack, all dressed in black, black, black. I probably haven't jumped to that since I was very small. But, the rhyme makes it easy for me to recall. For songs that are on your phone, the radio or in a Disney movie, rhyme makes words tickle the tongue; it melts meaning into your memory.
There is so much power in the rhyming word. For a child's language development, it is like the wings of a bird. Can you imagine a world without songs and chants? Rhyming invites imagination, it welcomes, it enchants. You'd be hard pressed to find a child who doesn't like to play--with words, that is, like: say, day, way, today! I have written all four of my published books in verse. Thinking in rhyme is both a blessing and a curse. I rhymed all of my middle and high school speeches when I was young. Rhyme and word play just roll off my tongue. I will continue to be a champion for writing and reading rhyming stories. The love lasts on: college kids listen to rap (a.k.a rhyme) and read Neruda in their dormitories.
So, find a good rhyming book that sings and allows kids to cloze. (Once in a while, you can still read them prose.) Rhyme is the foundation of word patterns and song. It makes students feels successful--how could that ever be wrong? Most importantly, rhyme instills a love of language and of reading. You feed your child every day-- consider rhyme a literary feeding. It fuels your child's brain; helps expand their vocabulary. Rhyme makes reading sound much less scary. Build a banquet of books for those picky readers at bedtime. I promise you, they delightfully eat it up if you just feed them, I mean, read them, rhyme!