Sight words are words that children are expected to learn to recognize without needing to stop and decode

or sound out the word. They are recognized on sight. When children have mastered a wide vocabulary of sight words, their reading will become smoother and more fluent. Additionally, a great portion of the words contained in texts children encounter will be sight words and mastery of them will also build confidence in young readers.

Label Sight Word

o

Using visual clues and helps can reinforce the learning of sight words for preschoolers. Label items around the classroom with index cards. Regularly read the cards together. Once a week, remove the labels and place in a basket. Have children take turns drawing a card and trying to place the index card on the correct item in the room. If they miss, they put the card back and wait until their next turn to pull a new card and try again. Play ends when all the cards are placed in the correct place. Sight Word Erase Race

Divide the class into two teams and prepare the game by writing two columns of sight words on the board. Have children say the first word on the column for their team. If they're correct, they may erase that word and then return to the back of their team's line. If they miss, the next student in line for their team has a chance to say the sight word correctly. The first team to erase all of their words wins. Sight Word Memory Game

Prepare pairs of sight word cards on index cards and shuffle. Place the words face down on the table. Play a memory game where each player gets a turn to turn over two cards to see if the cards match. When a pair is uncovered in a turn, the player takes the cards and places them in front of them in their win pile. Then the player gets another turn. For sight word memory, the player must also correctly read the sight word as well. Bean Bag Toss

For this game, make sight word cards on tag board and lay out the cards in a grid on the floor of the classroom. Divide the class into two teams and give each team bean bags to toss. When it's a child's turn, he tosses the beanbag and whatever word card the bag lands on must be read by

the child. If it's correctly read, the student may pick up the word card and gets a point for the team. Play ends when all the cards are read and the team with the most cards wins the game. Memory Game

Children generally enjoy playing a memory game. Use sight words to create an educational memory game for students. Select 10 to 20 sight words students have learned. Cut out even squares or rectangles for the game cards from card stock paper or construction paper. Write each sight word legibly on two cards to create pairs. The cards can also be created on the computer and printed. Consider laminating the cards to make them more durable. To play the game, mix up the cards and arrange them on a hard surface in an orderly fashion, with the sight words facing down. Students take turns overturning two cards. When students overturn a pair, they collect the pair. If the overturned cards do not match, they must be returned face down in their original location. The student who collects the most pairs wins the game. Bingo

Write a list of bingo words you want to include in the game. Create bingo cards using sight words, instead of numbers in the columns or letters across the top. Remember to differentiate the words on each card so the whole class does not get a bingo at the same time. If you are using 40 sight words, put 20 or more random words from the list on each card. Write each word on the list on another piece of paper and cut each word out, putting it in a hat or bowl that can be used to draw words out of. To play the game, hand out bingo sheets to the class. Draw a sight word out of the hat or bowl and announce the word to the class. Put the word in a sentence to help students differentiate between homophones. Students having the word on their bingo sheets will mark the square containing the word with a pen or pencil. The first student to mark an entire row on the sheet calls out "Bingo!" and wins the game. Stop Bob

Draw a completed stick figure, Bob, on the marker or chalk board, indicating what the completed stick figure will look like. To add more excitement to this game, allow students to take turns deciding what Bob will look like (different hair, big feet or an extra arm) each turn. Draw a large box, where the same stick figure (the new Bob) will be drawn piece by piece throughout the game. Demonstrate the first round of the game to the class. Select a sight word and mark appropriate spaces for each letter next to the box. Ask students to call out letters in the alphabet

that they think might be included in the mystery word. If the letter is not a part of the word, write the letter in a designated spot on the board so students know that letter is not included and draw one body part for the stick figure Bob. If the letter is included in the mystery word, write it in the corresponding space. Do this until the word is formed or the stick figure Bob is fully drawn. The object of the game is for the class to guess the mystery word before Bob is complete. Once students grasp this game, they can play in pairs at their desks using personal marker or chalk boards, or even playing the game on a piece of paper.

Token Game

Write sight words on flash cards and select something that can be used as game tokens, such as beans or construction paper cutouts. Stand in front of students and show them one flash card at a time. The first student to read the word correctly receives a game token. Whoever has the most game tokens at the end of the game is the winner.