kids-laughing

How Do I Teach My Toddler Sight Words?

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    Sight words are words in the English language that are used frequently and are therefore useful to know by sight. Reading comprehension and fluency can be enhanced by training the brain to recognise words automatically.

    Young children, struggling readers, and ESL students, in particular those at the beginning of their reading journey, can all benefit from studying them.

    This is because these words are the most common in written English. As soon as you've mastered them, you'll free up more of your brain's resources to tackle more complex, infrequently used terms.

    If you don't recall being taught the alphabet, you might not even be able to read simple words like "am,"the", and "is."

    Children may have trouble learning the "sight words" you read each day (which you probably don't even think about). However, they are crucial to a satisfying reading experience.

    Sight words are high-frequency words that are commonly taught to children by sight recognition rather than memorisation. In this way, kids can skip the step of trying to sound out unfamiliar words in a book and move on to the next one once they recognise the sight words they need.

    This is especially helpful for the numerous sight words that do not adhere to the typical phonetic principles and, as a result, cannot be sounded out.

    Children who have mastered reading sight words do so because they read more quickly and accurately, and also because they understand what they read better.

    To add to this, one of the most well-known studies ever undertaken suggests that as much as 75% of the words used in children's reading are considered to be sight words.

    Searching for a Sydney childcare that helps your child develop, keep up & excel. Check us out! 

    Here are some methods and materials that will help your kid pick up sight words faster and easier on your end as a teacher.

    Additional Resources on Visual Words

    To keep up with the rest of the class, a student may need to put in extra time and effort to grasp sight words.

    In the early stages of reading instruction, often in the first or second grade, pupils are introduced to sight words.

    It's possible that a child will find learning sight words easy if they experience early and sustained reading success.

    More than 75 percent of the words in a typical children's book are sight words.

    The Process of Reading Instruction

    The ability to recognise individual sounds, letters, and words, as well as the ability to string together words into sentences, are all pre-literacy skills that can be fostered in young children through conversations with caregivers and early exposure to books.

    A kid must learn to recognise individual letters and letter clusters in order to read a word, and then associate those letters with their corresponding sounds. The next step is known as decoding.

    Learning to read can be a difficult process for a youngster, especially when they are just starting out and don't recognise many words. This is because sounding out words takes a lot of concentration and focus.

    Students who have practised pronouncing a word several times will find it much easier to recognise it by sight, which is another way of stating that they will be able to read it by sight.

    Which Words Can Be Recognized by Sight?

    Sight words can also be referred to as "Dolch words." The majority of today's parents and educators use a list of sight words first compiled by the Dolch family.

    In 1948, Edward William Dolch, a professor and researcher at the University of Illinois, presented a list of sight words he had compiled.

    His method for compiling the list involved reading a large number of children's books in search of the most commonly occuring words in such novels.

    Dolch felt it was harmful to force youngsters to memorise large vocabularies.

    The list of 220 sight words was reduced from 300 after he took out all the nouns. Functional words like prepositions, adjectives, and verbs make up the vast majority of modern sight word lists.

    The Instruction of Words Recognizable by Sight

    Learning to read by sight is mostly a memorisation task that can be taught academically or informally.

    Using a mix of play and conscious review of the words in both situations (when your preschooler is aware that they are learning new words and when they are not), such as when they are immersed in play, is the key to making it easy for your preschooler.

    In addition to the tactics already mentioned, here are some extra activities you may do with your kid to help them learn sight words:

    Start Teaching Your Child to Read by Exposing Them to Sight Words as Soon as Possible.

    It's important to establish a reading routine with your child as early as possible, since this will aid in both their language and literacy development. If you do this several times a day, kids may hear one million words before they enter kindergarten. Also, this is the most natural method to introduce children to many different sight words.

    The words you see while driving or supermarket shopping, for example, may contain sight words that might help your child learn to read.

    Your child will have a firmer grounding for learning sight words formally in preschool and kindergarten.

    Integrate More Activities Into Read-Alouds.

    Many common sight words, including "I," "a," "t," "am," "it," "is," and "the," appear in repeated phrases as you read with your kid. This is something you will realise when you read with your kid. Have fun highlighting this repetition and getting your toddler to sing along with you as you point out the words.

    Most of what a child reads will consist of sight words, so reading aloud to them in a way that encourages discussion is a terrific approach to get them used to reading on their own.

    Space is conserved while all the information is still there in books that use speech bubbles to deliver the text. When reading aloud, simply click on the bubbles containing the sight words you want to emphasise.

    Whether you're reading aloud to your child or just going about your day, it's important to point out any sight words.

    You should highlight key terms and have your preschooler do the same as you read to them. Your young child might also benefit from highlighting key phrases and sentences. Then have them follow the letter outlines.

    Acquire Their Full Attention by Appealing to Their Senses.

    Children's senses can be stimulated by activities such as "writing" a statement with their finger in the air or on a table, completing missing letters to correctly complete a sight word, and so on.

    Learning to read with a multi-sensory approach helps kids pick up the skill sooner and remember new sight words longer. Giving children tools like pipe cleaners and magnetic letters can aid in the process of learning sight words.

    The sight word technique developed by literacy specialist Jan Richardson may be useful if you need additional practise spelling sight words, particularly words that aren't phonetically regular.

    The student might be introduced to the sight word in one of two ways: either by writing it on a dry erase board or by building it from magnetic letters. The next step is to slide an index card across the word from left to right while having the kids look at each letter.

    Write a Story

    crayons-paper

    Work together to write a story that features frequent usage of simple, easily recognised sight words. A good opening line for a story about a visit to the zoo could read, "We go to the (put in an animal name)."

    Words like "we," "go," "see," and "the" are easier for a child to learn if they are used and exposed to them regularly.

    Play Games

    Let's see how good your memory is by playing a game. We recommend using two index cards for each sight word. (Because it would be too difficult to keep track of everyone's answers otherwise, the game can only be played with seven or eight words at a time.)

    Flip the cards over, out of sight. You can then challenge your preschooler to try to match the words to the pictures.

    In the beginning, students will learn to match by recognising individual letters; later on, as they gain fluency, they will learn to recognise sight words.

    Prepare Flashcards

    Most of what a child reads will consist of sight words, so reading aloud to them in a way that encourages discussion is a terrific approach to get them used to reading on their own.

    Place Common Sight Words in Correct Groups.

    Children's reading comprehension can be improved if they are taught to classify sight words into categories like "rule followers" and "rule breakers."

    But this is only for advanced readers who have mastered early decoding abilities and can read by blending sounds together.

    Sight words like "can" have a pattern that follows phonological guidelines. As a contrast, "say" cannot be translated into any other language. Therefore, it is crucial for kids to learn this term in its totality. It's crucial to talk about whether or not a sight word may be sounded out and whether or not it breaks any rules while teaching it.

    Check this list of Sydney early learning programs to help you choose the best education for your children.

    You and your child can play a sorting game at home to determine which sight words can be sounded out.

    Every Day, Read and Have Fun With Sight Words.

    Reading sight words becomes easier for kids when they are exposed to it frequently at home.

    The easiest way to reinforce the learning of sight words is by daily reading, but you can also be creative by using games, art projects, and other interactive activities.

    Creative Use of the Senses in Play

    If you're in the mood to get messy and enjoy yourself, try this game that calls for shaving cream and a baking sheet.

    Spray some shaving cream onto the baking sheet (the cream version, not the gel). With some help from you, your preschooler can use her fingers to practise writing sight words in the shaving cream.

    The quality of the participants' handwriting is unimportant, and they have ample opportunity to remedy any mistakes they make.

    Assisting your preschooler in "feeling" how words are made can make it much easier for them to recognise the letters.

    Sight words are words in the English language that are used frequently and are therefore useful to know by sight. Reading comprehension and fluency can be enhanced by training the brain to recognise words automatically.

    Young children, struggling readers, and ESL students, in particular those at the beginning of their reading journey, can all benefit from studying them.

    This is because these words are the most common in written English. As soon as you've mastered them, you'll free up more of your brain's resources to tackle more complex, infrequently used terms.

    Additional Games to Help with Sight Word Memorization

    "Sight words" or "high-frequency words" refer to the most frequently occurring terms in the text.

    Our introductory readers should memorise these words without stopping to figure out their meanings through phonetic analysis.

    Students are sometimes given lists of words to memorise or review, or given a series of worksheets to complete, in an effort to teach them sight words.

    These methods may be useful for some children, while others may respond better to a more creative or engaging method.

    Having your child search for a sight word in a picture book is a great way to reinforce its learning when teaching a new word to your child.

    My suggestion is to have my kid recite the passage out loud to you whenever they come across the word we're studying. This printable sight word word search is a fun way to get some extra practise.

    Send in Your Sight Words with a Stamp

    Children find great enjoyment in playing with stamps. Writing keeps children engaged because it provides them with practise with novel mediums like symbols and ink.

    Make a list of the words your kid needs to learn, and then have him or her stamp each one, one by one, using an alphabet stamp set. Finally, everyone should be able to see the finalised list.

    No alphabet stamps to use? Not at all! Give your kid a pile of old magazines, newspapers, and other reading material and tell them to start slicing out letters.

    Literacy Learners Who Rely Primarily on Visual Cues

    Sight-word readers are great for helping reluctant readers gain confidence. Most of these publications are short and have a relatively small number of vocabulary definitions (ten to twenty on average).

    In addition to reviewing previously taught words and word families, your kid will be exposed to new sight words as they progress through the books in the sequence in which they are given.

    Our family has found great success with Bob Books, but there is a wide variety of excellent readers for learning sight words available now.

    Bingo With Pictured Words

    Kids like obtaining knowledge through playing games. When learning is presented as a game, children are more likely to remain interested and retain the idea that schoolwork can be enjoyable.

    Sight word bingo requires a 5x5 grid, which can be hand drawn or found online. Put a single word in each cell of the grid. You might use a smaller grid or repeat some of the words if the kids are very young.

    Come see the learning, and feel the love, inside our Early Learning communities.Check us out!

    As a result of some minor adjustments, this game might also be of great use to older children who are having trouble with spelling. You should ask your child how the word should be spelt after you've found it and covered it with a tile.

    Sight Words Hopscotch

    kid-drawing

    Playing a game called "sight word hopscotch" is a great way to help your beginner readers practise their sight words while also having a great time. Youngsters will pick up on the habit of memorising sight words while laughing and running around.

    Create a hopscotch grid on your front lawn or front path. Each square should instead contain a sight word that your youngster is learning rather than a number.

    If your child's rock or bean bag lands on a square with a word, encourage them to try reading it. As you play more, the game's rules and lingo will sink deeper into your brain.

    Conclusion

    Reading comprehension and fluency can be enhanced by training the brain to recognise words automatically. Sight words are high-frequency words that are commonly taught to children by sight recognition rather than memorisation. As much as 75% of the words used in children's reading are considered to be sight words. Learning to read can be a difficult process for youngsters, especially when they are just starting out and don't recognise many words. The ability to recognise individual sounds, letters, and words, as well as string together words into sentences, are all pre-literacy skills that can be fostered in children.

    Reading aloud to your toddler is a great way to get them used to reading. Common sight words, including "I," "a," "t," "am," "it," "is," and "the," appear in repeated phrases as you read with your kid. Giving children tools like pipe cleaners and magnetic letters can aid in learning sight words. Sight words like "we," "go," "see," and "the" are easier for a child to learn if they are used and exposed to them regularly. Common Sight Words can be grouped into categories like "rule followers" and "rule breakers".

    Sight words are words in the English language that are used frequently and are therefore useful to know by sight. Reading comprehension and fluency can be enhanced by training the brain to recognise words automatically. The easiest way to reinforce the learning of sight words is by daily reading, but you can also be creative by using games, art projects, and other interactive activities. Sight-word readers are great for helping reluctant readers gain confidence. Make a list of the words your kid needs to learn, and then have him or her stamp each one using an alphabet stamp set. When learning is presented as a game, children are more likely to remain interested and retain the idea that schoolwork can be enjoyable.

    Content Summary

    • Sight words are words in the English language that are used frequently and are therefore useful to know by sight.
    • Reading comprehension and fluency can be enhanced by training the brain to recognise words automatically.
    • Young children, struggling readers, and ESL students, in particular those at the beginning of their reading journey, can all benefit from studying them.
    • This is because these words are the most common in written English.
    • Children may have trouble learning the "sight words" you read each day (which you probably don't even think about).
    • However, they are crucial to a satisfying reading experience.
    • Sight words are high-frequency words that are commonly taught to children by sight recognition rather than memorisation.
    • In this way, kids can skip the step of trying to sound out unfamiliar words in a book and move on to the next one once they recognise the sight words they need.
    • Children who have mastered reading sight words do so because they read more quickly and accurately, and also because they understand what they read better.
    • To add to this, one of the most well-known studies ever undertaken suggests that as much as 75% of the words used in children's reading are considered to be sight words.
    • Here are some methods and materials that will help your kid pick up sight words faster and easier on your end as a teacher.
    • To keep up with the rest of the class, a student may need to put in extra time and effort to grasp sight words.
    • In the early stages of reading instruction, often in the first or second grade, pupils are introduced to sight words.
    • It's possible that a child will find learning sight words easy if they experience early and sustained reading success.
    • The ability to recognise individual sounds, letters, and words, as well as the ability to string together words into sentences, are all pre-literacy skills that can be fostered in young children through conversations with caregivers and early exposure to books.
      Learning to read can be a difficult process for a youngster, especially when they are just starting out and don't recognise many words.
    • The majority of today's parents and educators use a list of sight words first compiled by the Dolch family.
    • Learning to read by sight is mostly a memorisation task that can be taught academically or informally.
    • Using a mix of play and conscious review of the words in both situations (when your preschooler is aware that they are learning new words and when they are not), such as when they are immersed in play, is the key to making it easy for your preschooler.
    • In addition to the tactics already mentioned, here are some extra activities you may do with your kid to help them learn sight words.
    • The words you see while driving or supermarket shopping, for example, may contain sight words that might help your child learn to read.
    • Your child will have a firmer grounding for learning sight words formally in preschool and kindergarten.
    • Many common sight words, including "I," "a," "t," "am," "it," "is," and "the," appear in repeated phrases as you read with your kid.
    • This is something you will realise when you read with your kid.
    • Have fun highlighting this repetition and getting your toddler to sing along with you as you point out the words.
    • Most of what a child reads will consist of sight words, so reading aloud to them in a way that encourages discussion is a terrific approach to get them used to reading on their own.
    • When reading aloud, simply click on the bubbles containing the sight words you want to emphasise.
    • Whether you're reading aloud to your child or just going about your day, it's important to point out any sight words.
    • You should highlight key terms and have your preschooler do the same as you read to them.
    • Your young child might also benefit from highlighting key phrases and sentences.
    • Learning to read with a multi-sensory approach helps kids pick up the skill sooner and remember new sight words longer.
    • Giving children tools like pipe cleaners and magnetic letters can aid in the process of learning sight words.
    • Work together to write a story that features frequent usage of simple, easily recognised sight words.
    • Words like "we," "go," "see," and "the" are easier for a child to learn if they are used and exposed to them regularly.
    • Let's see how good your memory is by playing a game.
    • We recommend using two index cards for each sight word. You can then challenge your preschooler to try to match the words to the pictures.
    • In the beginning, students will learn to match by recognising individual letters; later on, as they gain fluency, they will learn to recognise sight words.
    • Most of what a child reads will consist of sight words, so reading aloud to them in a way that encourages discussion is a terrific approach to get them used to reading on their own.
    • Children's reading comprehension can be improved if they are taught to classify sight words into categories like "rule followers" and "rule breakers."
    • Sight words like "can" have a pattern that follows phonological guidelines.
    • Therefore, it is crucial for kids to learn this term in its totality.
    • It's crucial to talk about whether or not a sight word may be sounded out and whether or not it breaks any rules while teaching it.
    • You and your child can play a sorting game at home to determine which sight words can be sounded out.
    • The easiest way to reinforce the learning of sight words is by daily reading, but you can also be creative by using games, art projects, and other interactive activities.
    • With some help from you, your preschooler can use her fingers to practise writing sight words in the shaving cream.
    • Sight words are words in the English language that are used frequently and are therefore useful to know by sight.
    • Reading comprehension and fluency can be enhanced by training the brain to recognise words automatically.
    • This is because these words are the most common in written English.
    • Students are sometimes given lists of words to memorise or review, or given a series of worksheets to complete, in an effort to teach them sight words.
    • Having your child search for a sight word in a picture book is a great way to reinforce its learning when teaching a new word to your child.
    • This printable sight word word search is a fun way to get some extra practise.
    • Make a list of the words your kid needs to learn, and then have him or her stamp each one, one by one, using an alphabet stamp set.
    • Give your kid a pile of old magazines, newspapers, and other reading material and tell them to start slicing out letters.
    • Kids like obtaining knowledge through playing games.
    • When learning is presented as a game, children are more likely to remain interested and retain the idea that schoolwork can be enjoyable.
    • Sight word bingo requires a 5x5 grid, which can be hand drawn or found online.
    • Playing a game called "sight word hopscotch" is a great way to help your beginner readers practise their sight words while also having a great time.

    FAQs About Sight Words

    4 Ways to Help Kids Struggling with Sight Words
    1. Use Sentence Strips and Flashcards.
    2. Make a Sight Words Journal.
    3. Color Coding Sight Words.
    4. Use Colored Blocks to Make it a Game.

    A: Children's language skills develop at different rates, so we can't give you hard-and-fast age rules. Most children will be able to master a few sight words in Pre-K (four years old). You can teach sight words earlier if your child is receptive to the material.

    Check out this list of the most common words 2-year-olds say. By age 2, most kids are talking. There's a wide range in the number of words they use, but it's typically suggested that they should be using at least 50.

    Most children will be able to learn a few sight words at the age of four (e.g. is, it, my, me, no, see, and we) and around 20 sight words by the end of their first year of school. Knowing the first 100 high-frequency sight words will give your child around half the words they need for reading.

    A Lifetime Of Reading

    You can start teaching sight words to your child as early as four years old, but the exact timing will depend on when your young learner is ready. There are fun and simple ways to start working on sight words with your child at home.

    Scroll to Top