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home / Blog / early literacy / words 3 ways: learning sight words for kindergarten

words 3 ways: learning sight words for kindergarten

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May 17, 2012 by Teach Mama 30 Comments

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Cora is totally into learning how to read, so I am seriously running with it.

She wants to practice the sight words that were included in her kindergarten packet.  She wants to be able to decode the words in her High 5 Magazine and her Weekly Reader.

She wants to read to her dolls, read to Brady, and read to me.

words three ways teachmama.com

At least most days she does.

Some days, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with reading, and she only wants to dance or sing or paint or play dress-up.  But that’s okay with me because she’s getting closer, and I know it.

So I’ve been exploring some new and exciting ways for her to practice the ā€˜all-too-important’ kindergarten sight words, and I think we’ve come up with a way that seems to work for her.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Words 3 Ways: Learning Sight Words for Kindergarten:

The concept of words three ways is simple– children ā€˜play’ with words in three basic ways.

It’s similar to Maddy’s Trace, Copy, Recall for beginning work with spelling words, but catered a bit more toward littler ones.  It’s a great way to begin work with sight words.

The printable words three ways can be downloaded below as a pdf if you’d like to let your little one try it at home.

learning sight words for kindergarten

Sometimes I write the words in uppercase letters and sometimes I write them in lowercase; I want her to be familiar with both.

Cora has been using Words 3 Ways for a few weeks now, so she understands how it works, but when I introduced the idea, I said, Okay, Cora, today we’re going to rake a really big step.  You just had Kindergarten Orientation, so I know you’re excited for school to start in the fall, but there are a few things we’ll do between now and then that will help you be really, really ready for all the fun  you’re going to have in Kindergarten.

I know you already know a lot—your letters, numbers, and how to write your name and our family’s names, so we’re moving on to bigger things, now, and I know you’re ready. We’re going to really start playing with sight words.

learning sight words for kindergarten

Sight words are words that you’ll see in almost all of the books you’ll learn to read in Kindergarten—they’re usually small words that you can’t really sound out, so you need to know them by ā€˜sight’. We got a list of sight words from your Kindergarten teachers, and I put them on flash cards.  We’ll play different games with them, and by the time you start school, you’ll be able to read them all by yourself! How awesome is that??!

So today we’re going to start with Words 3 Ways. It’s a fun way for you to learn five new words.  The words are here (pointing to words in left column).  Let’s read them together. 

Okay, now you get a chance to do three things with each of these words: first you’ll use your finger or a highlighter to trace the word.  Then you’ll form the word, and you can do that by stamping the letters, using letter stickers, or using magnetic letters.  And the last thing you’ll do is write the word. 

So you’ll trace, then you’ll form the word, then you’ll write it.

Let’s start with the first word.  I’ll read it, then you read it. 

ā€˜The’.  Cora read it herself.  Great! Now use the highlighter to trace the word. 

She traced it.

I could tell that you were really concentrating on each letter: ā€˜t’, then the ā€˜h’, and then the ā€˜e’. 

learning sight words for kindergarten

Cora’s writing her words. . .

learning sight words for kindergarten

Now you get to form the word, or build it. 

Do you want to stamp it or use letter stickers?  She chose to stamp the word, and as she hunted for and then stamped each letter, I said the letter name.

Finally, you get a chance to write the word all by yourself. 

Do you want to use a pencil or the bee pen or a marker to write it?

She used the pencil, just like Owen and Maddy use for their homework, to carefully form each letter.

Fabulous job! I said.

While Maddy and Owen worked on their homework, I talked Cora through the next two words; she finished the last on her own.

And the next few days, she asked me for Words 3 Ways with different words.  Awesome.

Right now, Words 3 Ways has become Cora’s go-to, her favorite ā€˜homework time’ activity because she’s all about reading. I’m a huge fan, too, because I can really add any words I want into the sheet—family names, color words, number words, sight words, you name it.  And I like that she’s tracing handwritten words; we sometimes forget that kiddos need to learn how to read handwriting and print.

Words 3 Ways gives emerging readers an opportunity to focus on a small number of words, looking closely at them in three different ways–first tracing the word, then building it, and then writing it on their own.

It’s not foolproof, it’s not instantaneous, and it requires foll0w-up, but it’s a start!  Happy sight word learning, little readers!

Grab your copy of the form here:

We’re huge fans of Melissa & Doug’s Alphabet Stamp set because it is a super set for emerging readers to use when building words, playing with names, or creating personalized masterpieces for loved ones.

Want a few more alphabet activities? Check out:

  • backyard alphabet hunt
  • rainbow words: free sight word printable
  • homemade alphabet book
  • leafy letter learning
  • ABC hunt
  • on the road ABC hunt
  • lowercase ABC hunt
  • build your own bingo: uppercase and lowercase match
  • ABC cards and clothespin match
  • alphabet letter splash
  • alphabingo (play with lowercase letters)
  • alphabet letter lids
  • leafy outdoor alphabet hunt
  • build your own board game
  • clothespin letter match
  • 10 fun ways to learn theĀ alphabet

And don’t miss our #raiseareader series on YouTube!

Follow us on pinterest, and check out our literacy pins:

 

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are ā€œaffiliate links.ā€ This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: ā€œGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.ā€  For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy. 

About the Author

Hi, I’m Patricia, an elementary teacher and reading specialist, turned homeschool mom. I also have a master's in psychology, specializing in children's issues. Read More…

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Comments

  1. Carolyn Wilhelm says

    May 17, 2012 at 11:07 am

    Brilliant, once again! And fun and pretty and engaging and inspiring! Carolyn

    Reply
  2. Becky says

    May 17, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    Amy,

    I LOVE this idea! How simple, yet effective! You’re amazing! šŸ™‚

    Becky

    Reply
    • amy says

      May 17, 2012 at 7:54 pm

      Becky–I’m SO not amazing, but I’ll take it! It’s been that kind of day for me. . . thanks, friend!!

      Reply
  3. Megan says

    May 18, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    My favorite way to practice any words is outside with chalk! But I like the 3 ways for handwritting practice.

    Reply
  4. Beth says

    May 19, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    I love it… My only suggestion would be to use lower case when teaching very early site recognition/ tracing/ writing/ stamping… Kiddos see more lower case when seeing words in books. Hats off to you for getting your child interested in reading and finding fun ways to learn!!

    Reply
    • amy says

      May 20, 2012 at 9:35 am

      thanks so much, Beth!! Great suggestion!! I’ll definitely–gently–move toward that this summer! Totally appreciate your feedback, my friend!!

      Reply
  5. Jackie Higgins says

    May 21, 2012 at 2:29 pm

    I love all of the choices. I have so many friends who homeschool and wonder how in the world to get their kindergarteners to sit down and do school with them. I think all of the variety here would make this activity really engaging. I’m saving it for about a year or so when my oldest might be ready!

    Reply
  6. Tracey says

    June 9, 2012 at 10:51 am

    This is awesome! As a kindergarten teacher, I only wish more parents would be this involved – you are your child’s first and most important teacher! I love that you are including uppercase letters; however, you may want to consider only using them in the first place position. A lot of kids will come to kindergarten writing in all caps, and once that habit is in place, it takes A LOT of reteaching to break them of that habit. Your daughter is definitely fortunate to have you! Thanks for sharing your idea. =)

    Reply
    • amy says

      June 9, 2012 at 4:27 pm

      thank you thank you, Tracey!! YOU are so awesome for reading and taking the time to write–totally appreciate it!!

      Reply
  7. Jenni says

    July 23, 2012 at 11:07 am

    Thank you so much for the idea! My youngest will be starting kindergarten in the fall and told me that now that he is 5 he really should know how to read! I can’t wait to do this with him šŸ™‚

    Jenni šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • amy says

      July 23, 2012 at 1:49 pm

      you are so welcome, Jenni!! Please let me know how it goes!!

      Reply
  8. LJsMama says

    January 29, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    I’m so appreciative that you shared this! This is perfect for my 4yr old to use his new alphabet stamps. I’m looking forward to exploring your site since I’m in need of ideas to get him ready for kinder this year! Thank you so much- you are so awesome!!!

    Reply
    • amy says

      January 29, 2013 at 6:21 pm

      YOU are so very welcome, my friend! Anything else you need, let me know. It’s a really fun time–and so exciting!!

      Reply
  9. Jade says

    March 25, 2013 at 2:14 am

    Thanks! This is great. Do you happen to have a list of the sight words?

    Reply
    • Teach Mama says

      March 25, 2013 at 7:13 am

      SUPER! Yes–don’t hate me–I have only a sec but I KNOW there are lists of sight words and cards to print out with some on one of these posts: http://teachmama.com/category/early-literacy/sight-words

      Running around–it’s SPRING BREAK here so we’re a full house!

      Reply
  10. Heather says

    April 4, 2013 at 10:25 am

    Hi!

    I stumbled upon your blog yesterday via Pinterest, and I’m so glad I did! My daughter is entering Kindergarten this fall and I want her to be able to at least have some basic reading skills and I couldn’t find anything ANYWHERE until I found your site! Thank you so much for all of your tips and tricks!! I know it takes time away from your little ones to share this stuff, so I really appreciate your sacrifice to help all of us help our kids!

    Thank you!
    – Heather

    Reply
    • Teach Mama says

      April 5, 2013 at 7:10 am

      HEATHER! Oh my gosh, you made my year! Thank YOU so much for taking the time to click through to my blog and a million thanks for actually taking the time to comment. I appreciate it. Wishing you only the best next year when your daughter heads off to the wilds of Kindergarten–I’m sure she’ll do great! Please do stay in touch!

      Reply
  11. Kiasa says

    October 11, 2013 at 4:23 pm

    Amy, I love your stuff. And I’ve pinned so many of your posts and love them. This one has been so helpful to my daughter and me right now. We moved over the summer and she started second grade at a new school and her writing has regressed so much. I was starting to worry (her teacher too), but using the words 3 ways has been so helpful for her to go back and review sight words she already knew (but seemed to have forgotten during the summer and move). I purchased the Melissa & Doug alphabet stamps just for this, which I knew she would love so it makes it fun instead of feeling like it is a chore. Basically, THANK YOU!!!

    Reply
    • Teach Mama says

      October 11, 2013 at 8:05 pm

      Kiasa! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to share this with me. Means a TON. I’m glad it’s working, and let’s do stay in touch. Best to you!!

      Reply

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Welcome to Teach Mama!

Patricia Moore profile image

Hi, I’m Patricia, an elementary teacher and reading specialist, turned homeschool mom.

After our three kids graduated high school, I went back to school to become a marriage and family therapist who has specialized in children’s issues.

I love helping families find all the fun and deep learning possible for their children.

I’m so glad you’re here on Teach Mama and I look forward to helping you on your journey!

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