Inside: Looking for ways you can help your child learn sight words?  These 10 fun activities are quick and easy and will help your child become a sight word whiz in no time.  Affiliate links are used.  Read my disclosure here.

Sight Word Activities to use at Home

Mastering sight words is critical for students’ reading success.  And, let’s face it.  There aren’t enough hours in the school day for teachers to help every student master every sight word.  Since sight word retention requires repetition, parents need to do fun sight word activities with their children as well. 

Parents can help students master their sight words in fun and engaging ways at home using these FREE printable sight word activities.  While spending quality time together, parents and students are also ensuring reading success!

 

10 Sight Word Activities for Parents and Children

1. Shine a light on it!

Tape index cards with sight words on them on the ceiling or on a wall.  Use painter’s tape so it doesn’t damage the wall.  Turn the lights off, and have your  child shine the light on a word and read it. 

Or, leave the lights on and call out a word.   See how quickly your child can find that word and shine a light on it.  Kids love this fun game that’s perfect for the 5-10  minutes before bedtime.

 

 

2. Hop to it!

Create a hopscotch board with painters tape indoors or sidewalk chalk outdoors.  Place a sight word in each square.  As your child hops along the board, have them read the sight word. 

The great thing about this game is that it promotes active learning and it focuses on just 8-10 words at a time which is the perfect size list!

 

 

3. Time yourself!

Use a sand timer or stopwatch. Have your child read a sight word list and time himself. Do it again and try to beat the previous time. Your child can also play “Beat the Clock” by trying to get through an entire list before the timer runs out.

Remind your child (and yourself) that SPEED + ACCURACY = FLUENCY!

 

 

4. Clap, Spell, Chant!

Clap the word, spell it letter by letter as you clap, then chant the word again!  For extra fun add different kinds of voices and voice levels. 

Shout it.  Whisper it.  Chant it in a baby voice.  Or use a cowboy voice.  Simply put, make it fun!

 

 

5. Write it!

You’ll love this sight word activity.  Pour salt or sugar  in a shallow plastic tray.  Let your child “write” the word in the sugar or salt.  This is actually a Montessori technique that works great because your child is learning the word through movement, texture, and sight!

At different times of the year, change up the writing medium to match the season.  Use shaving cream to represent snow in the winter.  Use colorful sprinkles at Christmas time.  Anything goes with this fun sight word activity.

Even More Fun Sight Word Activities

 

 

6. Stick to it!

Purchase magnetic letters at the dollar store and put them in a bowl.  Have your child spell words using the magnetic letters.  They can stick the letters to the fridge or even to a cookie sheet!

Or use a tin lunch box for a portable letter holder and magnet board.  Kids love this, and it’s a great way to keep the magnetic letters organized and all together.

 

 

7. Scoop it up!

Write sight words on index cards and bury the cards in sand, corn kernels, etc. Have your child use a scoop to get a sight word and read it.  Again, you can change out the material based on the season. 

You could even add the sight word cards into a sensory bin with several different materials.  This sight word activity will be played again and again!

 

 

8. BINGO!

Program blank BINGO boards with sight words.  Call out a word and have your child find it and place a bingo chip, color square, etc. on it.

For a seasonal twist, use fun items for the Bingo chips.  Mini erasers from The Target Dollar Spot make great chips.  You could use Hershey Kisses at Valentine’s Day and mini presents from the Dollar Tree at Christmas.  Anything that will fit on the Bingo square is great!

 

 

9. Go Fish!

Another fun sight word activity for parents to do at home is sight word fishing.  Print the fish on colored card stock. Write a sight word on each fish, and attach a magnet to it. Use a fishing line on a dowel rod to “fish” for and read words.  Be sure there’s a strong magnet at the end of the fishing line to “catch” the fish!

Guess what?  You can even buy a little magnetic fishing pole so you don’t have to make one.  Check this one out on Amazon!

 

 

10.  What’s the password?

Make a Sight Word Password for each room in your house. Tape the sign on the door. Your child must read the word to enter the room.

You can do this fun game with letters or numbers, too.  Be sure you use painters tape so you don’t damage your walls or doors.

FREE Printable Sight Word Activities

Want to grab a free parent resource packet of sight word activities to use with your child at home?  Click the picture below to snag this FREEBIE!  (Teachers, feel free to send a copy of this FREE packet home with your students!)

Looking for more fun learning activities for Preschool or Kindergarten?  Check out these ideas:

 

• Name Practice Mats
• Alphabet Activities Using Magnetic Letters
• Hands On Alphabet Activities
• FREE Playdoh Alphabet Mats