Support your students in building essential phonological awareness skills with our Match the Rhyming Words Worksheets! This engaging and interactive activity helps early learners recognise rhyming word pairs through picture matching and colouring. By connecting rhyming sounds visually and aurally, students strengthen one of the foundational skills for successful reading and spelling development.

Each worksheet includes a column of images on the left and a mixed column of images on the right. Students say each word aloud, identify the matching rhyming pair, and draw a line to connect them. Once all the rhyming pairs are matched, students can colour in the pictures - making this a fun and purposeful task that combines literacy with creativity and fine motor practice.

Match the Rhyming Words Worksheets are perfect for Foundation and early Year 1 classrooms. Whether used as a whole-class introduction to rhyming, a small group intervention, or an independent literacy centre task, these worksheets help students develop sound awareness in a clear and structured format. They are ideal for targeting early reading skills, especially for students who are beginning to blend and segment sounds.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify rhyming word pairs using visual and auditory cues
• ✅ Strengthen phonological awareness through repeated practise
• ✅ Improve vocabulary recognition and sound discrimination
• ✅ Practise early pencil control through drawing and colouring tasks
• ✅ Build confidence in recognising patterns in spoken language

What’s Included:

• Multiple worksheets featuring pairs of rhyming image-based words
• Student-friendly layout with clear matching columns
• Designed for individual, partner or small group use

Materials Needed:

• Printed worksheets (paper or card)
• Pencils, crayons or coloured markers
• Optional: laminated sets for reuse with dry erase markers

How to Use:

1. Review the images and the words they represent with the class before beginning.
2. Students look at the picture in the left-hand column and say the word aloud.
3. They find a picture in the right-hand column that rhymes with it and draw a line between the matching words.
4. Continue until all rhyming pairs are connected.
5. Students can colour the rhyming pictures as a final step.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use as a phonics warm-up during literacy block
• 💡 Include in your rotation of independent literacy centre tasks
• 💡 Pair students for peer support and collaborative discussion
• 💡 Assign as homework to consolidate phonological awareness
• 💡 Use during intervention groups for targeted phonics practise

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Say each pair aloud together to reinforce the rhyming sound
• 💛 Offer word cards or sound mats to support struggling readers
• 💛 Encourage students to share extra rhyming examples after completing the task
• 💛 Store as a fast finisher task or include in a rhyme-themed learning folder

Match the Rhyming Words Worksheets offer a simple yet effective way to develop early rhyming skills, support phonemic awareness, and build confidence with spoken language patterns - making them a great addition to your early literacy toolkit.