Have you ever taught sight words to five-year-olds? Have you experienced those SUPER TRICKY words that JUST WON'T STICK? Well….I have 2 super simple sight word games for kindergarten that you can do at home or in the classroom. All you need is some Post-its and a Sharpie – and you'll be SET! Trust me…for some reason, Post-it notes seem to engage five-year-olds more than regular notecards. I don't understand the magic – I've just witnessed it! 🙂

Pssst! Hey, you! Do you have a soon-to-be kindergartener? Do you know someone who does? Or, are you a kindergarten teacher looking for a way to share some necessary information with parents that they NEED to know about kindergarten these days?

Well – look no further! Check out my free download that tells it like it is and has you laughing at the same time!

Sight word games for kindergarten

This is my 10th year teaching kindergarten. A LOT has changed and is changing still. However, the need for five-year-olds to practice kindergarten sight words is still holding strong. Some people call them ‘popcorn words', as they should ‘pop' into your mind as soon as you see them, leaving brain power for decodable words.

The trouble with sight words is that they can be SUPER tricky to learn – especially if a five-year-old's letter ID and sounds aren't solid yet. Never mind the fact that the majority of them don't follow rules anyway! So…what should you do about that? Do you wait? Do you expose them all at the same time?

This post isn't going to dive into all of my opinions and the research on that big question. But what I WILL do is share with you my best-kept secret for teaching sounds at a record-breaking pace. Read more here!

For now, let's assume you are ready for kindergarten sight word practice, and you just want some SIMPLE things you can do with NO prep, NO printing, and NO stress. Sound good? Good.

Let's do this.

kindergarten sight word practice

🤔 Do your kids need more practice with sight words but they (and YOU) kinda dread it?
😉 Maybe you’ve tried repetition, but it’s not “sticking”?
👏🏻 Maybe they need More FUN with it??
👉🏻 Try SIGHT WORD TAG!

Here’s how:

• Get Post-it notes
• Get a Sharpie
• Period. That's it for your set up. (Told you it was SIMPLE!)

SIGHT WORD TAG

I know it looks too simple to work – but IT DOES! Each time we have a new sight word, I will write it on about 4-5 Post-it notes. The hands shoot up to volunteer to be the ‘STICKER‘. The ‘STICKER' gets to take the new sight word and switch out the previous word.

I love putting one by the light switch, and each of them has to tag it and say it whenever they leave or enter the classroom. When we go to lunch – you'll hear 20 little voices saying the new word! 🙂

It is so much fun to have that quiet independent working sound – you know the one that all teachers work towards. Imagine that piece of heaven, then all of a sudden from across the room, a slight tap or slap will sound, and a sight word will chirp out…but everybody just keeps right on working! It's WONDERFUL!

TIP: Be sure to model and set expectations up when you start. This COULD go very sideways – but not with explicit directions and parameters in place!

SIGHT WORD STACKS

Sight word stacks are great for review. By the end of the 1st quarter, my kids should have 36 sight words learned. We give them 4 new words each week. We do this for every quarter, so you can imagine the snowball effect that happens if they don't keep up.

I've found this is a super-effective and fun way for some extra review. I have a large number of kids who take to sight words easily, and some who come into kindergarten already knowing a large amount. They have even asked me to make a review stack for them that they can work with at home.

Here's how:

• Get Post-it notes
• Get a Sharpie
• Period. That's IT for your setup. (SEE? I TOLD you it was EASY!!)

My kids who need that extra boost of review absolutely love getting to add a different colored tally each time they get a word right—the more tallies they get the more they beam! Check out this video to see how it works if you want a bit more detail.

So there you have it! 2 super simple sight word games for kindergarten that will work wonderfully in the classroom OR at home. The same games work great for letters and numbers too! Try it out, and let me know what you think!

If you are thinking that there's no way your kids could handle tagging words all over your kindergarten classroom without getting out of hand – then you should read this blog post about my favorite kindergarten classroom management tips!