Go Label Crazy: Games that Help Kids Learn to Read

Have you ever heard someone read aloud and it sounds very choppy? When readers pause to sound out each word, they lack fluency. Building fluency is the key to learning to read smoothly, and learning sight words can help. This activity lets you and your child go label crazy! You’ll pick a set of words to work with, and then play a series of games to help your child remember what they look like.

What You Need:

• construction paper
• markers
• tape

What You Do:
Put your kid in the driver’s seat. Ask him to point to a set of ten items around the house that he’d like to learn to “read”. Or, if you’d rather start with a set of suggested sight words, here are a few to consider: dog, bed, eyes, clothes, water, ball, boy, book, food, fire, window, door, tree, desk, table, toys.

Write each word with your child’s help. Talk about the words, by pointing out the letters as you write them. You can also discuss the shape of the words and their letters.

Stick a piece of tape on each of your words and ask your child to help you label the house. Once the words are in place, try these games:

Listen Up!: Say a word and ask your child to hunt for its label. Be sure to emphasize the different sounds that make up the word, to make spotting it easier.

Can You Guess?: This time, instead of just saying a word like “bed” and asking your child to find the corresponding word, give clues to help lead them to the answer. For example, “I’m thinking of a thing you sleep on and it starts with the “buh” sound.”