Storytime…
When my eldest was about three years old, I used to have sight words stuck on the outside of her closet. It was a glass door, and I used the then Post It Sight Words Level 1. Well, Post It does not print those anymore. Plus it’s not that complicated, right? Google some sight words or do a quick Pinterest search and you can quickly produce your own word list.
Back then, when I had now started homeschooling, I did this not really expecting much or even understanding that it was beneficial. Just keeping it real. I stuck the words there and now and then I would go through it with her.
And something cool started happening. She began trying to say the words herself. I suspect based on our reading sessions; she began recognizing words outside of books. Then she began reciting the words on her closet door. She also started reading them to her younger sister. I remember distinctly walking into the room one time and hearing her: “….so this is how you read……”. From there, and many other similar instances she gained the title “miss” to her name.
Also, I believe the informal setting was a plus.
It’s small wins like this that also began motivating me early on in my homeschool journey. It’s not rocket science, but I had found something that worked!
Back then I also used to read TONS of books to her. Especially Dr. Seuss Books. I love Dr. Seuss books. My collection now is much bigger. 
Today not only does she read very well, but loves reading. I am no expert, but if something works well why change it right? I do know nothing is guaranteed as all kids learn differently. But worth a try.
I got her two shelves worth of new chapter books early September. And she has been working her little bookmark down the list. We may need more books.
Back To What Worked
Anyway, fast-forward a couple of years. We’ve moved a couple of times since then. And well life. I never got around to recreating that learning environment.
So doing it now for my five-year-old who is working hard with her reading. And for my three-year-old who is very sharp and ready to start learning to read.
I know everyone has their take on reading and when kids should read. My take is, I have three kids and am not an expert. So I can’t teach them everything. But, I have made myself believe that if I can at least give them a strong foundation in reading, then they would have the tools to learn almost anything plus help me out! Cause mama needs it.
My Tips… That You’ve Probably Heard A Million Times
- Read to them, A LOT… really reading aloud is one of, if not the best tool you can use for teaching your little one to read. Quantity is great, but even one or two quality books a couple of times a week is better than nothing!
- On the topic of reading to them, start early. From the womb, even better. From my experience, also if you think the little ones are not listening and running around the room, they ARE learning. Let them. Once they are in ear-shot, it is useful.
- Let them play with books.
- Have books around them. As many as you can tolerate.
- Point out printed words in books and other places that they frequent.
- Let them see you read. Kids do what we do.
- If you don’t have time you can try audio books.
- I believe in Phonetic reading. You can check out what we’re using for reading now here. But learning high-frequency sight words is excellent in getting them started.
- Talk to them, describe their environment, some of the things you’re doing while they are around and answer as many of their questions. It will help them understand words and their meanings, which will give them a large vocabulary from a very young age.
- Try to be patient with and enjoy the process. Because, fun fact, the faster your kiddos can read, no more code talking to hubby or spelling out words to have a private conversation. lol
Why Sight words?
Phonetic reading is important. However, sight words account for 63%, up to 75% of the words used in books for young readers. You can check this out. Also some of the referenced studies around the importance of sight words. Sight words are by levels, each set of words building upon the other.
The Girls…
(Am sharing the next paragraph, so hopefully if you have a kid that learns similarly to mine, you can relate better.)
Firstly, my two older girls are currently building on their reading skills with All About Reading. You can check out other curricula we use here. For my oldest, it’s more so to make sure there are no gaps because she can read all levels of material at this time. For my second, who reads at a second-grade level, needs that extra encouragement. She reads but has to be encouraged to do so. And well my youngest, even though she is three which I know people may frown on, she is ready to learn sight words. She has been using complete sentences since two that always catch us off guard, but we were concerned about starting her off too early. I think she’ll do fine now.
All kids are different. Some early readers, others may need a bit more time. Just encourage their learning to read based on the child’s readiness. They’ll ‘let you know’ they are ready. In the meantime, enjoy read aloud books together.
How we Intend To Use Our Sight Words Set Up
So the picture above is in their bedroom right now. Trying to recreate what worked before. Now and then I may go through one line of words with my preschooler. But that’s it. I did tell them this is also a cool way to learn to spell words too. They are learning to read and doing sight words during “homeschool” times. This extra step of having it in their room is really to encourage further learning while they are playing together in a more relaxed setting. Fingers crossed.
How to Find Free Sight Words Resources?
- Google is your best friend. Then click on the images tab after you search. I promise your googling will be transformed. lol
- Pinterest search
- Dolch List Of Basic Sight Words
- Fry’s 300 Instant Sight Words
- Fry’s Complete List of 1000 Words
- You can also check out free apps
It’s the simplest things sometimes that works the greatest. So I am very hopeful.
I also keep sight words laminated on rings. This is another copy of post-it sight words list, level 1, that I have. The green came blank so you can use as you see fit.
Hope you found some of this helpful. Until next time, happy learning.
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