Help when sight words don’t stick
Your child practises the same sight words every week with flashcards and still forgets them. Words stick better when children connect the letters to the sounds and write them, not only look at them.
For: Parents and kindergarten teachers
A cover page with the plan, then 11 worksheets in order (12 pages). Free, no sign-up.
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Save to PinterestWhy it happens
- Looking at a word on a flashcard is a weak way to remember it. Memory gets stronger when children say the sounds, spell the word and write it.
- Most “sight words” are partly regular: in “said”, only the “ai” is unusual. Children who sound out the regular parts only have to remember the tricky part.
- Too many new words at once overloads memory. Three to five new words a week is plenty.
What helps
- Say the word, then the sounds, then spell it: “said: s-ai-d. S, A, I, D.”
- Mark the tricky part (in “said” the ai sounds like e) and say why it is tricky.
- Write it: trace, write from memory, build it letter by letter.
- Review old words in games, a few minutes a day, until they come instantly.
The planstep by step.
1Week 1: a, I, the, to, and
One page per word: read, color, trace, write, find, build and read it in a sentence.
2Week 2: is, it, in, see, can
Five more words, and a game with the words of week 1.
3Week 3: review
Roll and read with all pre-primer words. Color a word only when it comes instantly.
Questions
Questions about sight words that don’t stick
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How many sight words should a kindergartener learn?
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Related packs
The LetterSchool app
Between worksheets: practise in the app
The same letter shapes as this sheet, with instant feedback on every line, animations and stars. Children play, and learn the right formation.