Riddles, Rhymes and Alliteration

Book excerpt: "Riddles, Rhyme and Alliteration" is an activity-based resource that encourages children aged 4-7 years to concentrate, listen to and discriminate between different speech sounds. Teachers can use the material separately or as part of a phonics programme, as each activity has the flexibility to be used with individuals, groups or whole classes. Older children who have listening and auditory discrimination difficulties, poor listening skills, and mild to moderate hearing loss or 'glue ear' can also benefit from using the material. Each of the eighteen sections is based on a particular phoneme and includes two or three pages of illustrations to accompany the activities.The activities are photocopiable and include: riddles which can be solved with the help of the picture pages; exercises on alliteration and rhyming words; tongue twisters; a story containing words beginning with the target phonemes; and a puzzle worksheet based on some of the words from the picture pages. All of the activities have clear instructions and are presented orally by the teacher, except the puzzle worksheets that encourage the child to work independently. The picture pages can also be coloured in at school or at home to help consolidate what has been taught. Written by a teacher for teachers, "Riddles, Rhyme and Alliteration" will prove a welcome resource for those who have limited time for preparation.