Sight Words

Sight words are words that commonly appear in texts, but are often difficult to decode. Your child needs to know these words because they come up so frequently in their reading. These are words that you often cannot determine the word by "sounding it out." Knowing these words helps your child to ready fluently, which helps comprehension.

Routine is important. Set up a weekly schedule of practice. Here is an example:

You can also incorporate fun activities to keep your child's interest as you practice. Try using these activities to help your child learn and practice sight words:

• write sight words with wikki stix

• sight words with play doh

• write sight words with puffy paint

• practice tracing sight words in sand. (try placing colored sand in a ziplock bag, leaving some space for movement)

• Squirt shaving cream on a plate or table. Spread the cream. Write the sight words in the shaving cream.

• Jump, hop, clap, or tap the letters of the sight word (t-h-e “the”).

• Play hopscotch with sight words written in the boxes.

• Play Go Fish or Memory with sight words

• make a tic-tac-toe board filled with sight words. On your turn read a sight word, if correct put your X or O

• Coin Toss. Place sight word cards on the floor. Toss the object onto a card, read it.

• Play Who Am I? For example... I have 2 letters. I rhyme with row. I start with a g.

• Flashlight Words. Tape sight word flash cards to the wall. Turn off the lights. Use a flashlight to spot a word. Read the word.

• build sight words at abcya

• play an online Memory game with sight words as primarygames or Starfall