What are High Frequency/Sight Words?
They are the most commonly used words in the English language, ranked in order of frequency.
The first 25 words make up about one-third of all printed material in English! The first 100
words make up about one-half of all written material, and the first 300
words make up about sixty-five percent of all written material in English. The
best way to learn high frequency words is directly through reading, so please
encourage your child to read, read, read!
Playing games with sight words is a good way to offer your child more exposure to these
words. Some children remember a word after only a few exposures to it, while
others might need dozens of exposures. There are children who need to see a
word hundreds of times in order to remember it. All learners are
different--no one is the same!
Learning sight words should be fun, not tedious work. Engage your child by turning sight
word practice into a game. Some kids love seeing how many words they can
accurately read in a minute--for those children, use a timer to create an extra
challenge. For others, playing a game with their words is more fun. Exposure to
high frequency words doesn't have to mean boring drill work--be creative!
Want a fun game to play to help you practice your sight words? Here are a few that
we've tested and approved! Have fun!!
Bang!
Number of Players: 2 or
more
Materials: a coffee can or bowl of index cards with a sight word written
on each, 3 index cards with Bang! written on them
How to Play:
1.Mix up all the cards and put them in the can/bowl.
2.Take turns drawing out the sight word cards from the can and trying to read them.
3.If you can read the word within 5 seconds, you get to keep the card. If you can't, your
partner tries reading it, and if he/she reads it correctly he/she gets to keep the card.
4.If neither of you get it right, the card goes into the
"Don't Know It, Yet" pile on the floor.
5.When a Bang! card is pulled out of the can the student who drew it has to return all
their cards to the can. The Bang! card is placed in a separate pile on the floor or table .
6.The game is played until all the cards are drawn, and the player with the most cards wins.
Sight Word
Soup
Number of Players: 1 or more
Materials:
1 bag of large pasta noodles, 1 Sharpie permanent marker, a ladle, a large bowl
How to Play:
1.Write your sight words on the pasta noodles with a Sharpie.
2.Put the pasta into an empty pot.
3.Use the ladle to scoop out the words and put them into a bowl.
4.The words you can say quickly and correctly get to stay in your bowl.
5.Those you miss must be returned to the pot.
6.Keep going until you have all of the pasta noodles.
Zap
Number of Players: 2 or more
Materials: large craft sticks, markers - to write the words on the sticks, a timer
How To Play:
1.Write one word on the end of each stick.
2.For every 25 sticks, add three ZAP sticks.
3.The players take turns pulling a stick out of a cup.
4.If they can read it, they keep it. If they can't, they put it back in the cup.
5.If they get "zapped" they put all of their sticks back in the cup.
6.At the end of a set time (about 5 minutes), the winner is the one with the most
sticks.
Concentration/Memory
Wordo
Number of Players: 2 or more
Materials:
A WORDO board for each player (see file link at the bottom of this page)
25 index cards, chips or paper squares to use as markers
How to Play: WORDO is a variation of "Bingo."
Select 25 sight words from the list that you've been working
with, and write each one on an index card. Copy each of the 25 sight words
into a space of the WORDO board. (Each player should be writing words into
different spaces, so each player's WORDO sheet will be different.) Shuffle
the deck of index cards, and call out one word at a time. Cover each word
that was called out with a marker or chip. The first player to cover up a
whole row calls out, "WORDO!".
They are the most commonly used words in the English language, ranked in order of frequency.
The first 25 words make up about one-third of all printed material in English! The first 100
words make up about one-half of all written material, and the first 300
words make up about sixty-five percent of all written material in English. The
best way to learn high frequency words is directly through reading, so please
encourage your child to read, read, read!
Playing games with sight words is a good way to offer your child more exposure to these
words. Some children remember a word after only a few exposures to it, while
others might need dozens of exposures. There are children who need to see a
word hundreds of times in order to remember it. All learners are
different--no one is the same!
Learning sight words should be fun, not tedious work. Engage your child by turning sight
word practice into a game. Some kids love seeing how many words they can
accurately read in a minute--for those children, use a timer to create an extra
challenge. For others, playing a game with their words is more fun. Exposure to
high frequency words doesn't have to mean boring drill work--be creative!
Want a fun game to play to help you practice your sight words? Here are a few that
we've tested and approved! Have fun!!
Bang!
Number of Players: 2 or
more
Materials: a coffee can or bowl of index cards with a sight word written
on each, 3 index cards with Bang! written on them
How to Play:
1.Mix up all the cards and put them in the can/bowl.
2.Take turns drawing out the sight word cards from the can and trying to read them.
3.If you can read the word within 5 seconds, you get to keep the card. If you can't, your
partner tries reading it, and if he/she reads it correctly he/she gets to keep the card.
4.If neither of you get it right, the card goes into the
"Don't Know It, Yet" pile on the floor.
5.When a Bang! card is pulled out of the can the student who drew it has to return all
their cards to the can. The Bang! card is placed in a separate pile on the floor or table .
6.The game is played until all the cards are drawn, and the player with the most cards wins.
Sight Word
Soup
Number of Players: 1 or more
Materials:
1 bag of large pasta noodles, 1 Sharpie permanent marker, a ladle, a large bowl
How to Play:
1.Write your sight words on the pasta noodles with a Sharpie.
2.Put the pasta into an empty pot.
3.Use the ladle to scoop out the words and put them into a bowl.
4.The words you can say quickly and correctly get to stay in your bowl.
5.Those you miss must be returned to the pot.
6.Keep going until you have all of the pasta noodles.
Zap
Number of Players: 2 or more
Materials: large craft sticks, markers - to write the words on the sticks, a timer
How To Play:
1.Write one word on the end of each stick.
2.For every 25 sticks, add three ZAP sticks.
3.The players take turns pulling a stick out of a cup.
4.If they can read it, they keep it. If they can't, they put it back in the cup.
5.If they get "zapped" they put all of their sticks back in the cup.
6.At the end of a set time (about 5 minutes), the winner is the one with the most
sticks.
Concentration/Memory
Wordo
Number of Players: 2 or more
Materials:
A WORDO board for each player (see file link at the bottom of this page)
25 index cards, chips or paper squares to use as markers
How to Play: WORDO is a variation of "Bingo."
Select 25 sight words from the list that you've been working
with, and write each one on an index card. Copy each of the 25 sight words
into a space of the WORDO board. (Each player should be writing words into
different spaces, so each player's WORDO sheet will be different.) Shuffle
the deck of index cards, and call out one word at a time. Cover each word
that was called out with a marker or chip. The first player to cover up a
whole row calls out, "WORDO!".