R Words For Kids

Need to recall some R words for kids? Let me remind you of a few, by revealing a rousing roster of words that begin with R. Are you ready?

Alliteration is fun and R words for kids are plentiful. In this post, I’ve included R word lists for preschool, kindergarten, elementary, beginning readers, as well as, a few other random R word lists like food, places, animals, and objects that all start with the letter R.

Before we move onto the sounds that R makes, and all the awesome R word lists, let me remind you to stick around to the end of the post and get your copy of the free R Words for Kids Learning Pack.

The Sounds of R

The sound that R makes can be challenging for some kids to pronounce. But with lots of practice and exposure to a plethora of R words, they will be making headway in no time.

The basic R sound is /r/ (sometimes taught as /rah/) as in rust, run, and rain. Then, there is the /er/ sound that is used in the er, ir, ur letter combinations.

R Words for Preschool

The goal for preschool is to help your student recognize the letter R and the sound it makes when you say it. This will happen as you read together, talk with one another, and do all types of alphabet activities together.

(Note: For learning letters and other preschool content, we loved using the printable Preschool Learning Folder and the Preschool Daily Skill Builder)

Words that Begin with R for Preschool:

• Red – My bike is red.
• Ran – He ran all the way home.
• Rat – My brother wants a rat for a pet.
• Rag – We used an old rag to dust off our bikes.
• Rug – We have a rug in our living room.
• Rose – The rose is pink.
• Ring – My mom wears a wedding ring.
• Rake – We will rake the leaves into a pile.
• Read – I have two books to read.

R Words for Kindergarten

R words used for Kindergarteners should be familiar and easy and pronounce. Here are some common R words for kindergarteners as well as, sentences for reference.

Words that begin with R for Kindergarten:

• Run – I am going to run in a race.
• Rabbit – We have a pet rabbit.
• Road – The road is bumpy.
• Rain – I hope it will rain and water our garden.
• Rope – He used a rope to tie up the bag.
• River – A river runs through the valley.
• Rooster – The rooster wakes me up every morning.
• Read – I like to read before I go to sleep.
• Raccoon – The raccoon looks like he is wearing a black mask.
• Rainbow – Did you see the colorful rainbow in the sky?
• Ride – Do. you need a ride to school?
• Rock – I started a rock collection.
• Rest – After our hike, I feel like I need to rest.
• Rich – The king lived in a castle and was very rich.
• Room – My mother asked me to clean my room
• Round – The ball was round.
• Rules – I try to follow the rules.
• Reptile – A snake is a reptile.
• Reward – There is a big reward for anyone who can find the lost puppy.

Words that end with R for Kindergarten:

• Ear – I can’t hear out of my left ear.
• Car – He drives a red car.
• For – This gift is for you.
• Four – She has four sisters.
• Deer – We saw a herd of deer run through the field.
• Fair – I hope we can go to the fair this year.
• Star – I saw the first star.
• Jar – My grandma has a jar full of buttons.
• Wear – I am going to wear by boots today.
• Tear – Is that a tear I see rolling down your cheek?
• Door – Someone knocked on our door.

Three Letter R Words for Beginning Readers

Beginning readers usually start off reading three or four letter words. And for the early, early readers they will be starting with CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant). Here are some three letter R words that you can work through with your students.

Three letter R Words for Kids

Four letter R Words for Kids

As your readers grow and progress in their reading skills, they will become more familiar with these four letter words that begin with R:

R Words for Elementary Students

Revealing new vocabulary is a really good reason to teach R words to your elementary students. If you make it fun, they will readily respond with radiant resolve.

• Right – I know you will make the right decision.
• Reach – the top shelf was beyond my reach.
• Radio – We listen to the radio in the car.
• Royal – We are going to the royal family ball.
• River – The Makenzie River is close to my house.
• Reply – What is your reply to my statement?
• Relax – I hope to relax at home this weekend.
• Radar – The policeman held up his radar to check the speed of the passing cars.
• Ranch – Ranch farmers are hard workers.
• Robot – They are making a robot that can talk.
• Rinse – If you rinse the dishes, I will dry them.
• Reuse – You can reuse that plastic bag if you rinse it out.
• Repel – Tea tree oil can repel mosquitos.
• Report – He shared his animal report with the class.
• Record – There was a record of every guest at the wedding.
• Reason – There is no reason to have a bad attitude.
• Reduce – If you reduce your food intake, you might lose weight.
• Remain – Please remain calm in an emergent situation.
• Rubber – The toddler played with a rubber duck in the bathtub.
• Remind – Will you remind me about that later?
• Rhythm – The song had a catchy rhythm.
• Refund – I am going to return these shoes and get a refund of my money.
• Redeem – You can redeem your tickets for a prize.
• Rotary – The rotary cutter, sliced through the fabric with ease.
• Refuge – Our home is a refuge from this crazy world.
• Rosemary – My mom seasons her chicken with Thyme and Rosemary.
• Repair – We are taking our van in for repairs.
• Remove – Will you remove your hat when you walk into the classroom?
• Ruling – The judge gave this ruling to the court.
• Reveal – They are planning a gender reveal party.

Challenging R Words for Kids

Are your pupils up for a challenge? If so, here are some lengthy R words for kids that will expand their horizons and give them a remarkable vocabulary.

These R words can be used for upper elementary students, middle school, and even high school students. (Click on the word for the definitions.)

• Remorse – After she said those hurtful words, she instantly felt remorse.
• Revolve – The world doesn’t revolve around you.
• Replica – The statue was an exact replica of the original.
• Regency – They stayed at the Regency hotel.
• Rectify – He sent a copy of the receipts to rectify his account.
• Regimen – Lotion and eye cream are part of her daily skincare regimen
• Revenue – They calculated their revenue.
• Relapse – She is hoping the illness won’t relapse.
• Rivalry – There was intense rivalry between the schools.
• Rapport – The teacher has a great rapport with his students.
• Realist – He’s a realist, he sees things as they are.
• Reputed – He was the reputed artist of the painting.
• Rousing – There was a rousing round of applause after the first song.
• Rebound – He made an astounding rebound after his fall.
• Readily – Books are always readily accessible.
• Reflect – The water can reflect my face.
• Rebuttal – He gave a persuasive rebuttal.
• Reprimand – I watched the mother bear reprimand her cub.
• Renegade – The renegade soldiers left their post and headed home.
• Redemption – God offers redemption to all sinners.
• Rampant – The virus was rampant among the towns people.
• Rendezvous – Their afternoon rendezvous at the cafe was refreshing and fun.
• Reservoir – Their reservoir of collected rain water kept them supplied during the drought.
• Renaissance – We studied music from the renaissance.
• Repercussion – She will have to deal with the repercussion of her outburst.
• Ricochet – The bullet could ricochet off the fence if you aren’t careful.

Nouns That Start with Letter R

Wanting to brainstorm some nouns that start with R. Perhaps you want your students to write a story using R words, or maybe you are trying to get some objects together for a kindergarten R-word scavenger hunt. Either way, check out these lists of familiar foods, animals, places, and objects that begin with R.

Foods that start with R:

Animals that start with R:

Places that start with R:

Objects that start with R:

Activities for Words That Begin with Letter R

(This list of ideas contains Amazon Affiliate Links.)

• Read Picture books for letter R – Some books are good at highlighting certain words beginning with a particular letter. With that being said, look around for some picture books for letter R that you might have around your house (books that repeat r words). Here are two books for letter R that our kids enjoy: Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran and The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.

• Free R Words Learning Pack – Get the free printable R words list along with other R word activities for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary aged students that is available at the end of this post. This free resource can be used for homeschool or classroom use.

• Make R Word Posters – Give kids a large poster and have them write their R words in large letters. Encourage them to think outside the box: use block or bubble letters, paints, markers, and get have fun getting creative. Next, have your students write definitions to their W words using in their own words. And lastly, add drawings or magazine cutouts that help to illustrate those words.

• Word Charades – Do your kids enjoy charades and acting things out? To play word charades, make a stack of cards with R words on them. Then take turns acting out the words on the cards.

• Do an R Word Search – Word searches are so much fun for elementary aged kids! Find a free R word search and practice finding all the R words. OR if you want to take this R words search activity up a notch, have your kids make their own R word search. Just download a free word search template and let your students have fun creating their own.

FREE Letter R Learning Pack 

Get the free Letter R Learning Pack that is available in the Inspire the Mom free resource library. This pack contains a letter R word list along with learning pages for preschool through elementary. All you have to do is sign in with Grow for this exclusive content!

Get it Now!

More Elementary Resources

What are you working on with your elementary students? Check out these other elementary resources that you can use in your homeschool or classroom.

• X Words for Kids
• Y Words for Kids
• Z Words for Kids
• States and Capitals Copywork
• Best Books for 3rd Graders
• Ways to Make Geology Fun

What would you add to the R words for kids list?

This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.