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PSPKK12329 Comments

25 low-prep sight word activities

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Today I’m sharing some simple sight word activities that you can prepare in minutes!

So what are sight words, anyway?

Some people will tell you that sight words are words that kids can’t sound out; they just have to learn them by sight. Others tell you that sight words are the high frequency words: the words that kids encounter the most when they read.

But researchers tell us that sight words are words we recognize automatically without needing to sound out or guess.

The real question is … how can we turn high frequency words INTO sight words? 

The number one thing to do is to teach each word explicitly. That’s why I created my set of sight word lessons with decodable books.

Once you’ve taught the words with attention to the spelling patterns (these sight word worksheets are also great for this), you’re ready for these low prep sight word activities that you can put together in under 15 minutes!

Low prep sight word activities

1- It takes just 5 minutes to set up Sight Word Sticky Note Match. Just write the words on sticky notes and have your child cover the words on a dry erase board!

2 – Grab your alphabet stamps and some play dough for this simple sight word activity. 

3 – Write the words on sticky notes. Then have your child write them in sand.

4 – Teach sight word songs. 

THE BEST SIGHT WORD WORKSHEETS

Sight Word Worksheets – Based on the science of reading!

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Just say no to busywork! These high frequency word worksheets are the real deal. They’ll help your students connect the sounds to the letters and finally master those sight words!

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5 – Write the words on sticky notes. Then have your child swat each sight word  with a fly swatter as you name it!

6 –Do fun actions with your sight words with This Reading Mama’s free action cards.

7 – Write sight words in play dough with a stick or wooden skewer.

8 – Try chanting sight words in a variety of different ways – like a robot, a cheerleader, and more! You can get free sight word chants on TPT here.

HANDS-ON PRACTICE FOR SIGHT WORDS

High Frequency Word Practice Mats – 240 words!

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Teachers love our practice mats because they’re low-prep and effective. Kids love them because they’re engaging and hands-on!

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9 – Make a sight word memory game. Just write each sight word on two different index cards. Then turn the cards over and invite your child to find the matches.

10 – Print these free sight word cards and build the words with letter tiles. When you join This Reading Mama’s free email list, you’ll get lots of free sight word cards! Learn more here.

11- Learning is always more fun with dice! Grab these free rainbow roll & write pages for a variety of sight words. Kids roll a die, check the key at the top of the page, and write the word in a particular color.

12 – This is such a creative way to practice writing sight words! Find the words with a magnifying glass and write them on the lines. Get the freebie here.

13 – Are you students learning beginning sight words? Print and play sight word blackout.

14 – Simply write your child’s sight words on a piece of paper and have him stamp them with alphabet stamps.

15. Grab the play dough, a sheet protector, and a dry erase marker. Your child can build the word with play dough and write it on the lines below. Get the freebie here.

16 – Grab these free color-by-sight-word pages.

17 – Get some colorful craft sticks and write the words with a permanent marker for some simple sight word puzzles.

18- Sight Word Showdown is both simple and genius! Just grab a stack of index cards and write each word twice. Then follow the directions in this post.

19 – Write sight words in muffin tin liners and play a simple game of Three in a Row.

20 – Bury magnetic letters in a sensory material. Have children dig out the letters to build words.

21 – Make a sight word parking lot. Draw tiny parking spots on a piece of poster board, and write a sight word in each one. As you name the words, have your child park a toy car in each spot. Learn more here.

22- Practice writing sight words using a dry erase marker on a dry erase board.

23- Write sight words on craft sticks and provide some magnetic letters for this portable sight word activity.

24 – Where’s the bear? Write the words on paper cups and hide a small bear or other tiny object. Your child guesses where the bear is hiding by naming the word on the cup.

25 – Go on a simple sight word hunt by matching the sticky note sight words to the words on a clip board. (This one’s a favorite at our house.)

And there you have it! 25 low-prep ways to practice sight words!

Editable Reading Games for Every Season – MEGA PACK!

$24.00

Your students will ASK to practice their reading when you start using this versatile set of sight word games! Simply type up to 12 words, and they’ll autofill into the 150 seasonal games.

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Free Reading Printables for Pre-K-3rd Grade

Join our email list and get this sample pack of time-saving resources from our membership site! You'll get phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading comprehension resources ... all free!

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Filed Under: Reading, Sight words Tagged With: first grade, second grade, third grade, sight words, kindergarten

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Reader Interactions

29 Comments

  1. Joyce

    September 2, 2019 at 12:56 pm

    I have been teaching for a long time. These are some of the same activities I have used with my students, however, I have not put them in a worksheet format. Thank you for this great website, for sharing these activities.

    Reply to this comment
  2. Ashley

    May 31, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    I love the sight word books! It is exactly what I was looking for to help teach them to my 5 year old. I was disappointed to see that there was not a book for the word “like” that I could find. I will definitely be using this site often!

    Reply to this comment
  3. Amanda

    March 16, 2019 at 10:28 am

    Great ideas! thank you so much for sharing! Sometimes people like me are not that creative and when you see posts like this, your world improves 🙂

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      March 17, 2019 at 7:10 am

      I’m glad you liked this, Amanda!

      Reply to this comment
    • Sarah Bartley

      December 14, 2021 at 1:41 pm

      Good Afternoon,

      I purchased “25 low-prep sight word activities” this morning and still have not received it. Are you able to confirm that the purchase went through?

      Thank You!

      Reply to this comment
      • Laura Cherney

        December 14, 2021 at 2:14 pm

        Hi Sarah! Please check your inbox for an message from Customer Support. Thank you!

        Reply to this comment
  4. Lily

    September 13, 2018 at 6:16 pm

    I just printed your free pre-primer sight words worksheets and am excited about using them with my kindergartner, who is struggling with these. My only disappointment is that the collection did not include all 60 of the Dolch pre-primer words. Any chance they will be available in the future?

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      September 13, 2018 at 7:05 pm

      Every list I’ve found has 40 preprimer sight words, so that’s what I’ve included in the free preprimer pack in the subscriber library.

      Reply to this comment
  5. Renata Cottone

    March 21, 2018 at 6:24 am

    Anna, you are amazing! I am a Special Education Resource Teacher and I use so many of your activities on a daily basis! You have inspired me as a teacher and the success is remarkable. Thank you! God bless you!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      April 2, 2018 at 8:03 pm

      Thank you SO much for your kind words, Renata!

      Reply to this comment
  6. Becki

    July 30, 2017 at 6:54 pm

    Very nice !! Thank you!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      August 12, 2017 at 8:55 am

      You’re welcome, Becki!

      Reply to this comment
  7. Mary

    February 19, 2017 at 7:19 am

    Thank you so much for your wonderful activities and games that you share

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      February 27, 2017 at 9:46 am

      You’re very welcome, Mary, and thank you for reading!

      Reply to this comment
  8. Mai

    February 12, 2017 at 9:51 am

    Thank u so much!!!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      February 13, 2017 at 5:08 am

      You’re welcome, Mai!

      Reply to this comment
  9. Mary

    February 11, 2017 at 8:13 pm

    It is so nice for you to share your games. I was just looking us long vowel games. Your site was a great find. Thanks so much from a teacher in Oklahome.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      February 12, 2017 at 7:07 am

      You’re very welcome, Mary – I’m so glad you found my site!

      Reply to this comment
  10. tammy

    February 10, 2017 at 10:12 am

    Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful ideas and resources. I am always amazed and grateful!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      February 10, 2017 at 10:19 am

      You’re very welcome, Tammy! 🙂

      Reply to this comment

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