I am a big fan of sight words. Phonics is important in early childhood education but should the child be able to read by sight, wouldn't that be faster? Big K's repertoire of sight words is pretty vast. I try to introduce a word a day in three to four days. Several activities will be prepared for her to ingrain the word into her brain. Ideally, I would love to introduce 3 - 5 unfamiliar words at a time every other day as I believe it is manageable for her age. But sadly, I am always behind schedule. As the child gets more advance, you might expand the number of words you work on in each lesson.
Through trial and error, I have figured that there are a few techniques which worked for us:
1) See and Say: Repetition does help. Paste the words in various fonts all around the house and get the child to identify and read.
2) Spell reading: get the child to spell out the letters and then read the word again.
3) Air Writing: The child is to write the letters in the air.
4) Table Writing: The child writes the letters on a piece of paper.
5) Bring it to reality: This is one of our favourites as it gives the child empowerment that they know the world! When you come across a word on an advertisement or the bus, point it out to your child, you will see how her eyes light up!
6) Games: Kids love games and if you turn it into one, they will be exhilarated. Below are some which you could try:
I bought these cards some time back and it makes a great thing to bring along when we are out. What I usually do is to say out the word and if she knows which card it is, she takes it and scores a point. Things can be made more challenging when you play it with her. Take turns to shout out the word and snap it. She doesn't have to know that you know all the words :P
These eggs were painstakingly cut out by yours truly. A similar game as the above except that I would incorporate a spatula and get her to flip the eggs as I read the word.
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| Caption: Photo credit: 3dinosaurs.com |
This is a great activity as it trains not only sight but motor skills.
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| Photo credit: Pinterest |
Decorate the sight words with stickers, poms poms or whatever you could find around the house! One of my favourites as it requires so little preparation time!
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| Photo credit: coffeecupsandcrayons |
This activity is soooooo cool!!! I hope to do it one day with Big K! It kills two birds with one stone! You get to practice sight word recognition by using them to build 3D shapes using play dough and craft sticks.
Remember tic tac toe? Well, why not do it with sight words?
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| Photo credit: Learningiftoff |
Bring sight words outdoors. Your child will love it! Toss your marker, read the word it lands on and hop to it!
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| Photo credit: giftofcuriosity |
If writing on paper is too boring for you, why not try various mediums like shaving cream, salt or coloured rice? A bit of sensory action goes a long way!
There are a host of other activities which you can do with your little one. If you are ever stuck on ideas, head down on to Pinterest. The suggestions are endless! Have fun!
