Reading her sight word cards
My youngest child found learning to read was such hard work! Sometimes she needed to sip some water, breath hard, cuddle a soft toy while she battled on … It was not easy learning to read!
Teaching sight words is a very important and helpful tool to make reading easier.
Sight words = often also called high frequency sight words, are commonly used words that young children are encouraged to memorize as a whole by sight, so that they can automatically recognize these words in print without having to use any strategies to decode. (Definition – Wikipedia)
Sight words often cover almost half the reading material on a page. By memorizing sight words, a child can recognize and recall these words and do not need to decode or break up and sound out every letter.
With all the smaller, ‘easier’ sight words ‘jumping’ out the page, it leaves the rest of the words on the page to decode which requires much less stress and less effort to read the page.
Pegging sight words on a line – a good fine-motor activity to strengthen finger muscles which helps improve handwriting.
What sight words does my junior child need to know?
I’ve compiled this list using recommended words from Ruth Beechick’s book A Home Start In Reading (pg.15,16) [I highly recommend her Home Start Series!] and Sonlight reader’s sight words:
| a
ago all am an and any are as ask at |
b
be been best black blue brown but by |
c
call can cent come cry |
d
day did do does dog done don’t drink |
e
eat end eight even ever every |
| k
keep kid kind knew know |
l
land little last long lay look led lost left leg lend less let like |
m
man many may me meet men met much must my |
n
need never next nine no not now |
o
of out off over old on one only open or orange our |
| p
pen pet pick pink play please pull purple put |
q
quick quiet quite |
r
ran read red rest ring run rush |
s
sad sit said six same so sat some saw stop say sun see she set seven |
t
take there talk they tall this tell three ten too that two the then their them |
| u
under until up upon us use |
w
water when we where weak which week who well whom went why were with wet write what |
y
yellow yes you yours |
could
should would |
words that
sounds the same to its too it’s two for there four their new knew its |
These are sight word games we play:
- snap – match same words (instant recognition)
- winning cards – if she reads them without any help or sounding out – she keeps the card (and gets rich!)
- grabbing hanging words off the line – finding the word I read aloud as quickly as possible
- sight word hop-scotch – jumping on the correct word on the floor
- group same sound/ spelling words
- throwing bean bags on the word on the floor in front of her as she sounds them out (upper body work out if she is lying over a gym ball and holding herself up on her hands while I hold her legs – as in wheelbarrow stance)
- sight word sit ups – she lies on her back (on the floor or on a gym ball) with the word, rolls up to say it and give it to me (I’m holding her feet)
- sight word direction game – read the word aloud and put it left/right/front/back according to the arrow chart I point to (helps improve spatial awareness which helps prevent reversals in reading – d/b or t/f)
You’ll notice that I’m sneaky ~ we play physical games to increase muscle tone and upper body strength. This also improve posture and handwriting skills. (Ask your local occupational therapist for more ideas if your child needs help in these areas.)
You can download this word wall here ~ Mini Office Lapbook
Practice makes good readers – practice these sight word activities daily until mastered!
