Simple Ways to Practice Kindergarten Sight Words and Elementary Spelling Words

Parents of early readers inevitably face the challenge of finding fun new ways to practice the dreaded sight words and spelling words with their child. Here are some fun ways to practice without the tedium and boredom of simple drills:

1. Flashcard Fun: Make a deck of index card flashcards with your child and store them in a plastic baggie. Instead of just doing the dreaded "flash-and-drill", make it a fun competition! My son and I kept points - he received one for every word he could read and I received one for every word he couldn't read yet. Sounds a little simple, but my son made a huge effort to get them all right and tried hard to sound out the words he couldn't read. We then had a double-point bonus round where I flashed the cards that he'd missed. He got most of them right and won the "game"!

2. Word Searches and Crossword Puzzles: For the very early reader, you can do these activities with words that are easily associated with pictures such as colors, shapes, and other objects. There are many websites that allow you to simply input your word list to create a puzzle. It takes five minutes if that long and is interesting enough to hold a child's attention. Make up the puzzle without clues for younger children and then paste or draw the objects, colors, etc. that correspond to each word. For older kids, make up simple clues that will also reinforce their reading skills while honing their spelling skills! One of my favorite puzzlemakers is: http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/index.html

3. Personalized Story: I have a hard time finding books that are simple yet interesting and that incorporate the sight words that my kindergartner needs to practice. My son loves Pokemon so I have begun writing simple stories about Pokemon and other characters he enjoys that include as many of the sight words as possible. The stories don't have to be great - you'll find that as long as they are about a subject your child is excited about, they will make a big effort to read the story! Barbies, bugs, dinosaurs, whatever the subject is, you can write a simple tale that will make practice fun. Use a large, easy-to-read font and maybe even incorporate a little clip art for added enjoyment.

4. Crazy True-and-False: As I mentioned above, when you create activities that involve your child's favorite characters and hobbies, you'll find them far more interested in "practicing" reading and spelling than with the routine worksheets! I make up true and false sentences about Pokemon or dinosaurs, for example, using as many of the sight words as I can. If they're a bit older, you could even make up some cute (non-offensive) sentences about their group of friends! I make them a little absurd and as funny as I can so that my son really enjoys finding out what each sentence says. Then, he rewrites the sentence to make it a true statement. Great practice!

I am constantly searching for new ways to make reading and spelling practice fun! The key is to incorporate those words into as many contexts as possible without your child really seeing it as practice. Words become a fun and important part of everyday life and that is what makes a reader for life!