The Playful Parent

This weeks homemade Monday is dedicated to reading readiness. Sight words can be tricky, so it is important to practice them as much as possible. Reviewing these words doesn’t have to be boring, you can turn reading skills into a game. Here are a few activities I do with my boys to achieve their literacy goals. I also compiled a list of the sight words all Maryland students should know by the end of Kindergarten.

ALPHABET SOUP

What you need:

• Letters of any type (magnetic, bean bag, flash cards, foam, etc.)
• Cooking Pot
• Mixing Spoon
• Plastic Spoons
• Sharpie Pen
• Writing utensils

How to play alphabet soup:

This activity can be done a few different ways….

• Either write out or have you child write out a sentence using site words. Lay your letters out so that they are easily visible. Have your child locate the letters for each word to spell out the sentence. Lastly add them to the pot and mix them up. Now have them pull letters back out to spell the sight words.
• Label plastic spoons with letter stickers or write letters on spoons with permanent marker. You should have at least 26 spoons, one for each letter of the alphabet. I suggest making a few extra of popular letters. Put letters in soup pan, for this project smaller sized letters are better; I suggest small magnetic letters or letter beads. Next, read a sight word to your child and encourage them to use the spoons to spell out the word. Next have them use that spoon to find the corresponding letter.
• A similar activity can be done in the bath tub if you have foam letters. I often say or show a sight word to my son and he spells the word out on the side of the bathtub.

BEAN BAG TOSS

What you need:

• Bean Bags
• Chalk or Flash Cards
• Bucket

How to play bean bag Toss:

This activity can be done in a few ways…

• Lay flash cards out on the floor or write sight words outside on the side walk or drive way. Call out sight words and encourage your little one to throw a bean bag on the sight word.
• If you have letter bean bags which you can make or purchase you can play this version.  Say or show a flash card sight word. Have your child toss the bean bags into the bucket to spell out the word.

CREATIVE COMPOSITION

What you need:

• Small Plate
• Sugar
• Play-doh
• Ziploc Bag
• Shaving Cream or Hair Gel
• Toothpick or Play-doh cutting tool

How to play creative composition:

Here are a few ideas for writing out words in a non-traditional and fun way.

• Just give your child a small amount of play-doh, have them flatten it out with their hand or rolling pin. Next show them flash cards or say a sight word out loud. Have them write it out in the play-doh using a toothpick like a pencil.
• Pour a small amount of sugar to cover the surface of a small plate. Have your child write out their sight words using a tooth pick or pencil in the sugar.
• Fill a sandwich sized ziploc bag a quarter of the way full with either shaving cream or hair gel. Seal the bag to make sure it is closed and tape the bag to the table to secure it.  Call out or show a word and have them draw the letters on the bag to spell out the words using their finger. Just smooth out the bag again to erase the letter and keep going. This is also great for sensory integration.

SIGHT WORD SWAT

What you need:

• Letters or flash cards
• Spoon or Fly Swatter

How to play sight word swat:

Once again this activity can be done in a variation of different ways.

• Write out letters or lay out letters. Next call out a sight word or flash card sight word and have your child swat the letters with their spoon or swatter.
• Another way to do this is to lay the sight words out on the floor or table. Call out a sight word and have them swat it. See how fast they can get!

NOTE ABOUT SUPPLIES

I want to add that some of these supplies that I have, you may not have…and that is okay. Just use what you have! Many of these supplies I have collected over the years. I have a great deal of resources after working in the school system for a few years and from homeschooling my children. You don’t have to be a teacher or home-schooler though to do these activities with your kids. It’s important to reinforce what they learn at school at home. You can get a lot of great letter and other educational supplies really cheap from The Dollar Tree and stores like Target or Walmart.

***Content and Photography from this article are intellectual property of The Playful Parent.***