Sight Words
Sight Word Flash Cards Teaching Techniques
Letter Sound. Say, then spell the word, showing the card. Cover card and repeat the word. Ask for the first letter sound. Show the card again and say the word.
Sound Tap. Tap once for each letter sound when your child says the word.
Letter Count. Your child groups selected cards by number of letters in each word.
Word Families. Teach word families in groups. Example: -ight, -ould.
Sight Word Flash Card Games
Sight Word Toss
This is a great game to get kids up and moving. Spread out as few or as many cards as you like on the floor. Have you child toss a bean bag towards the cards on the floor. They will then read the card that they bean bag lands on or is closest to. If they get it correct, they get to keep the card. If incorrect they put it back on the floor.
Don’t have a beanbag? You can quickly make your own by using a zip lock bag and some beans, rice, or other grain. Alternatively, you can use a stuffed animal or other safe to throw toy.
Sight Word Hop
Another great game to burn off some energy. Lay the word cards out on the floor about a foot or so apart. Have your child jump to each word and pronounce it.
Go big and have some fun! Add cards to multiple rooms and challenge them to travel to one room to another. For a bonus add their favorite snack to the end of that destination.
Story Search
Choose an appropriate level book perhaps even a favorite book they like you to read to them. Select a few words from the deck you know are in the book and have them search for those words. You can do this by page or by the entire book for a challenge.
Bingo
On a piece of paper create a matrix of words from the deck. A 5x5 matrix usually works the best but you may want to make it smaller for beginners. Create a deck of cards that include all word on the bingo card plus additional words. Call a word, your child finds and reads it on their bingo card.
You can also download our bingo card creator. Type in the words then print or print it out blank and fill in by hand! Download Here
Sight Word Dice Roll
Line up the words on the table or create a deck of words you would like to work on. Have your roll a die. They will then pick out a word that has the number of letters in the work. Rolling a 1 is a wild card and your child can choose any word they want. Once they choose a word they will read it out loud.
Don't have a die? Here is a printable template for a giant die your and your child can cut out color and label with numbers.
Sight Word Slap.
This one is a kid favorite. Lay out 8-25 cards in front of your child. Say one of the words out loud. When your child sees the right word, he slaps it with a fly swatter, hand, or rolled up newspaper.
Keep the cards where they are when they get them correct, this keeps your kids sight on the words to help memorize them. For a challenge, when they slap a word and get it correct, flip it over or replace it with another card to add more words as they go.
Word Search
Flip the box of cards over and choose a word from the back. Have your child search for the word in the deck. Decrease the size of the deck to adjust the level of the challenge.
Ad Lib
Create a sentence with one word missing. Let your child select an appropriate word from selected cards.
Bust a Rhyme
Make a small deck of rhyming words, including one that does not rhyme. Have your child read each word and choose the word that does not rhyme.
For an advanced way to play this shuffle a few sets of rhyming words and have your child sort them into piles of words that rhyme.
Scavenger Hunt
Choose a deck of cards you would like to work with your child on and post hide them around the house. Then have your child go around the house and find them. As they find each card, they will read them out loud. As an added incentive you can include tiny rewards with each one, they find- for instance a chocolate chip, a small marshmallow, gummy snack, or any other tiny reward.
An alternative way to play this game is to add they sight word cards to places of their everyday activities. For instance, a sock drawer, closet, mirror, inside of the medicine cabinet, on a cereal box, ect. Place them in places where they will “accidently” encounter them thought their day.