Over a year ago I wrote a book that helps parents at home teach their beginning readers how to read through repetition and rhyme with new words and short sentences.
I know that many schools are requiring children to memorize long lists of high frequency and sight words, so I took a bit of initiative and wandered around the internet to see what hands-on supplemental activities are out there to engrain these basic words into the minds of our children and help them be successful in school.
And.. there are many! (To say the least. Type in the word "sight word games" on Pinterest and see what happens!)
To be clear, all of these activities should be supplemental to a good foundation in Phonics, but still.. we want our children to be successful in school, so sight word learning is a part of that for many kids.
I'm listing a few below of the favorites I found that I think look like the most fun. And pssst! The websites linked to each have tons of other great sight word ideas as well as reading instruction tips and tricks you might find interesting. Happy exploring!
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- Sight Word Scavenger Hunt - This author has the fun idea to play scavenger hunt with sight words written on cards. The idea is for one person to read out a word, and then the child goes to find the card with the proper word written on it. Great idea! I could think of lots of variations to this one.
- Sight Word Bingo - You can never go wrong with a little BINGO fun! Play it just like the real BINGO game - Use Cheerio's, strips of paper or anything you want for markers and get creative with prizes! (Or maybe whoever wins get to be the caller)
- Sight Word Twister - How long has it been since you played this classic? This article has a few extra ideas in case you don't have an old Twister game laying around to use. I'm not so sure I could play this game very well any more!
- Sight Word Cup Crash - Kinda like bowling, know kids love to knock things down! This Mom takes it to another whole "Sight Word Learning" level. Love it!
- How to Read - Ahem. Yes, shamelessly plugging my book. 🙂 This is how my parents taught my sister and me. 5 minutes a day, great for snuggle time or bedtime.
- Sight Word Crayon Rubbings - A great one for the crafty in your kid. You'll have to be careful and go parent-only when using a glue gun, but after you have the letter set, your child will love making words with crayon in hand!
- Dollar Store Letter Magnets [Amazon Affiliate link]- You know the ones you can buy for like a dollar at the grocery store? (Or use the Amazon affiliate link I added to find them on Amazon). Use those on the fridge or get a dry erase board to come up with some games, let the kids be the teacher and "teach" you from the board. Easy peasy! Sometimes it's the simple ideas we forget.
- Water Balloon Toss - For the dog days of summer when you need to cool off. I have no idea if she is actually reading/ learning the words here but you can totally tell this little girl is having a blast with it. Sounds like fun to me!
- Mega Lego Block Sight Word Buildings - This one may take a bit of set-up on the parent's part, but what a great sight word activity for your Lego lover! Connect letters to make words and give the kids the right impression of the "building blocks" of words. What a great introduction into phonics, too!
- Invisible Sight Word Watercolor Paintings - Ooooh! I love this one. So good for a budding artist. All you need is a white crayon, white paper, watercolors, water, and a paint brush. Let the imagination soar! By the way, there are many other really fun-looking similar activities on her blog. Check it out!
Well, that about wraps it up. Thanks for looking over the list! I hope one of these sparks your interest and lights a fire in your reader.
Do you have any amazing sight word activity ideas? Let us know in the comments below!
