Sight word instruction is an essential part of learning to read. There are many ways to make sight word instruction engaging and interactive for all young learners. Here are four games that you can play with your elementary student that need little to no materials besides their sight word flashcards. These games help children memorize, stay focused, and become better readers.
Memory
Matching games are easy to make. Just create two cards for every word and spread them out facing down. Children can then flip the cards to find and match words. This game is also very adaptable to words/definitions or numbers/values.
Toss
Another easy game to set up! Spread out flashcards on the ground facing down, then find a small bean bag or a safe soft toy that can be thrown. The Child’s goal is to throw the bean bag and land on one of the cards. In order to make the card disappear they must read the word correctly. Try to play until all the cards are gone!
Scavenger Hunt
This is a great way to keep children active in the house while they are learning. Place different flash cards around the room and ask your children to find them all. You can choose to give them a list of what words they are looking for. Children can spend time looking around to see where the flashcards could be hidden! This game can even help motivate picking up a room at the end of the day.
Seek and Find
This game is great on the go! Any reading material will work. Choose one sight word your child is working on, and ask them to find it as many times as they can. This is a great game to use while waiting or when there is not a book on their level available.
For some students, learning sight words can be the hardest part of reading. Using these games can take some of that stress away and replace it with fun! Each game is adaptable to fit whatever level your reader is working on. Playing for a short time will make it easier to remember these tough words! If you need a guide for which sight words are important to know, take a look at the Dolch sight word list from sightwords.com. This website has lists, printable flashcards, and even more games to keep learning fun and engaging!