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by Liana Mahoney
Topics: Second Grade, Reading, Writing

Need to find a way to practice sight words without boring your child silly? Try putting the sight words in your child's line of sight!

What You Need:

Dry erase markers (dark colors work the best)

Clean glass and mirrored surfaces in the home

What You Do:

List of words to practice. Your child's teacher will most likely have provided a list. Below you'll find an additional list of sight words originally compiled by Edward William Dolch, PhD

Choose a word from your child’s word list. Use a dry erase marker to write the word neatly on a mirrored or glass surface. Try to choose a surface that you know your child will be visiting throughout the day, such as a bathroom mirror, or a window near the dinner table. Repeat with other words from your child’s list, but only write one or two words per surface so that the writing doesn’t look crowded, and be sure to write the words large enough and bold enough that your child can easily see them.

Tell your child that whenever she sees a written word, she should “reflect" on the word by saying it aloud, then acting out the meaning of the word in her reflection.

Variations:

  • For spelling practice, have your child write the word herself on the glass or mirror as she spells it aloud. When it comes time to erase, she put her hand in a clean sock (one of the matchless ones on top of the dryer will work!) and use her pointer finger to retrace each letter to erase as she spells it aloud again.

  • Your child can get additional practice by writing on the glass window in your vehicle with a dry erase marker. Have her practice writing and reading sight words on the way to school! (Note: In a small, closed area such as the inside of a vehicle, it’s recommended to use low-odor markers.)

Dolch Sight Words:

always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy, call, cold, does, don't, fast, first, five, found, gave, goes, green, its, made, many, off, or, pull, read, right, sing, sit, sleep, tell, their, these, those, upon, us, use, very, wash, which, why, wish, work, would, write, your