Hink Pinks
From FreeReading
| Activity Type: Build Fluency |
| Activity Form: Standard |
| Grade: 3, 4, 5 |
| Group Size: Individual, Pair, Small Group |
| Length: 30 minutes |
| Materials: |
| Goal: Increase vocabulary and critical thinking through word play |
| Items: Rhyming, vocabulary, comprehension |
What to do
- Introduce students to the idea of hink pinks. Has anyone ever heard of a hink pink? Can anyone tell what it is or give an example?
- If they don’t know, explain to students what a hink pink is. A hink pink is made up of one-syllable words that rhyme. For example, a hink pink for “chubby feline” is “fat cat.”
- Offer a challenge. What do you call a meal of cereal eaten at noon? (a crunch lunch) What do you call a trip around town on a two-wheeler? (a bike hike) What do you call a class for equines? (a horse course)
- Two-syllable words that rhyme are called hinky pinkies. What do you call a belt for a reptile? (a turtle girdle) How about a silly, long-eared animal? (a funny bunny) What is a wet canine? (a soggy doggy)
- Have students work alone or in pairs to come up with their own hink pinks or hinky pinkies and challenge the class to solve them. (Hint: Think of the answer first and then the definition.) It’s harder than it looks because the students are thinking about rhyming, definitions, synonyms, and numbers of syllables all at once. Quite challenging, but fun as well.
- Once you know how to make up hink pinks and get a little practice, it can be fun to keep a collection. Like riddles, these are fun to use in a challenge with another class.
- For a super challenge, try making up a hinkety pinkety. A hinkety pinkety involves three-syllable words! Here are a few collected from online: A place where the national leader lives: The president’s residence. Two drums talking to each other: A percussion discussion.