Kindergarten Heart Words 

Below are the 27 words Kindergartners are expected to be able to read by the end of the year. We call them Heart Words because part of the words can be sounded out and other parts need to to ble learned by heart.  For example, in the word to, there are two sounds /t/ and /oo/. The letter t says the expected sound  of /t/ but the o says /oo/, which is the part of the word your child needs to learn by heart. We are working with all of these words in the classroom. You can help your child learn to read these words by making fun games. You should start with only some of the words. Starting with all 27 words may lead your child to become frustrated and overwhelmed. As your child masters some of the words, you can add more.

Words:

the, a, and, are, to, is, his, as, has, was, we, she, he, be, me, I, you, they, or, for,  of, have, from, by, my, do, one

Games To Make With Your Child

Word Lotto 

Make a game board by writing 6-8 words on it. Then make a set of cards with one word on each card.  As you read a word, have your child find it on his/her board and cover it with a penny or paperclip. In the beginning, your child may need to look at the words to learn them. As he/she learns the words, he/she/they may not need to look at the card.  As your child becomes more proficient in reading the words, he/she/they can be the reader or caller of the words for the game.

Sock Toss

Write each word on a sheet of paper. Spread the words on the floor. Write each word on a separate card and show it to your child . Have he/she/them  toss a rolled up sock on the matching word. As your child becomes more proficient in reading the words, you can just read the word and have him/her /them toss it on the correct word. 

Word Hop Scotch

Pick 10 words. Write each word on a sheet of paper.  Arrange them on the floor like a hop scotch. Have your child toss a rolled up sock ball onto one of the words. As  he/she/they  hop on a word, he/she/they need to read the word aloud. 

Flashcards

Write the words on index cards. Show them to your child. At first read them together. As your child becomes more proficient, have him/her/them  read them to you.