How to Teach Kids to Read Using Sight Words
Want to eliminate the frustration with young children learning to read? Want to know how to get kids to read with fluently? When a child is stuck on a word because they can’t sound it out, this is where the importance of teaching sight words comes in. Here I want to show you how to teach kids to read using sight words so they can build confidence and reading comprehension.
When should my child learn to read?
This is one of the most popular topics among parents of toddlers today. There are many philosophies at the appropriate age for “formal reading instruction,” but the biggest factor for the appropriate time is the child themselves.
Keep in mind, early literacy is not equal to early reading. When a child is first exposed (ages 0-3) to book handling skills, they see colors, shapes, textures in books as more interesting than print alone. They are building up stamina for looking and recognizing print as well as enjoying the art form.
As they transition to early literacy books such as the wonderful BOB books, children learn phonetic alphabet sounds mostly through rhyming words or word families. For example, “the hat is on the rat.” A lot of children begin learning the word families and can tap out each sound in h-a-t or r-a-t, but the connecting words in the sentence are trickier. This is where sight word or high-frequency word instruction comes in when a child is ready.
Sight Word Resources
Sight/ high-frequency words are words that cannot be sounded out such as “said, this, her.” Instead, these words must be read with automatic recognition. Both the Dolch and Fry sight word lists are used in most elementary programs and classified words for PreK- Grade 3 (300-1000 words).
Currently, in Pre-Kindergarten classes, students are expected to master at least 25 sight/ high-frequency words. By the time a child finishes Kindergarten, they should know 75 sight/ high-frequency words. By the time they finish Grade 2, they should have mastered at least 300 sight/ high-frequency words.
Why are sight words important?
Simply put, a child cannot read fluently without memorizing them. Over 75% of the words we read and write are based on 300 sight/high frequency words. It is a tremendous advantage for the students that are able to recognize 50-75% of their text before reading it. If a child does not know the sight/ high-frequency words, they will have to stop and process every single word, which makes their reading comprehension rapidly decline.
To understand the full meaning of any text at each grade level, students need to memorize these words so they can read with automaticity. This gives your reader more time to devote to learning new concepts and understanding the text.
The memorization part can be very difficult for young children, but without it, reading frustration levels will be much higher. Their confidence as a reader grows first by reading a full sentence and then a whole page without having to stop and search for context clues to read the sight/ high-frequency word.
How to Teach Kids to Read Using Sight Words
- Read your favorite books over and over. Change your voice, and let them change their voice. Read like an old man, read like a tiger, but whatever you do, read those beloved titles over and over.
- Use environmental print! In other words, use the world around you. With younger pre-readers, parents and caretakers can point out words individually. This way, children can see where the sight/ high-frequency words are used. (ex. sign/poster/email/food label/magazine, etc.)
- With transitional readers, pick one or two sight/ high-frequency words every day. They can hunt for in any book in your library or in environmental print.
- Make a sight word flashcard ring. Bring these in the car, waiting rooms, public transportation, etc. This strategy helps maximize small chunks of time. 5-10 minutes is all they need. The more your child sees these words, the quicker they can recognize them in the text. (You can print them for free HERE.)
- JOURNAL! At first, they dictate to you and illustrate it themselves. Point out the sight/ high-frequency words in each sentence. They can also copy a page from one of their favorite books. This will help them notice the sight/ high-frequency words they used to write the sentences. As they become writers, they can use their own texts to share with family or friends. For strategies on how to create a reading/writing friendly space in your home or classroom, click HERE. Read more about how to teach children to journal HERE.
- And my personal favorite, play silly games and sing silly songs with sight/ high-frequency words. On Teachers Pay Teachers, they have thousands of free or paid resources with games made of bright and engaging animals, princesses, flowers, Legos, etc. They have resources for every child’s various interests or current unit/theme they are learning in school. You can also use YouTube as a resource.
Free Sight Word videos:
100 Sight Words Collection For Children
Doc McStuffins Kindergarten Sight Words
Sight Words With Frozen Characters
Keep encouraging the little ones in your life to have fun and play with words. By doing this, reading mastery will come in no time at all! Want even more help with teaching kids to read. Download your free eBook today: The Importance of Reading Aloud: A Parent’s Guide
Tips for Reading with Kids
Join the Biracial Bookworms tribe and you will get our FREE printable Top 10 Tips for Reading with Babies, Toddlers, and Pre-Schoolers. You will learn the best strategies for parents and teachers to read to young kids. It's up to you to make reading fun and memorable and the love for books life long, but we're here to equip you to do it.
