WBES Literacy Letter
from the Reading Coach
Parent Read-At-Home Plan
What are sight words?
Sight words are commonly used words in literature that young children are encouraged to remember and recognize just by looking at them, without sounding them out. Once a child learns all the sight words on Fry’s sight word lists, she can read 75 percent of the printed words in children’s literature. This article gives fun ways to teach these sight words using research-based strategies. Keep in mind, many children have the most success learning sight words when taught in a small group or practicing one-on-one with an adult or another child with established skills. Reading and writing sight words multiple times and connecting sight words to visual images helps ingrain them into a child’s memory. Reading, writing, or saying the same words over and over can be boring for a child. When a child is not engaged they often tune out/get distracted. Here are some ways to make learning sight words fun and engaging!
Puffy Glitter Sight Words
Writing in Sand or Sugar
Playdough Writing
Pool Noodle Sight Words
Writing in Shaving Cream
Candy Sight Words with Twizzlers
Sight Word Hopscotch
Sight Word Memory Game
Building Words with Playdough
Try to remember that sight word activities at home should be...
hands on, visual and full of fun! You want your child to have an opportunity to build, touch, and experience the sight words so that his or her brain can make a connection between the letters and the word itself. It's all about exposure, repetition, and practice!