Is your child starting to learn how to read? Reading is an important skill and a good foundation is of paramount importance. It is thus vital to start developing this skill from young. Besides memorising every word’s shape, your child should also be taught to recognise the words by sight so as to enhance his or her reading abilities.
This is when sight words flash cards come in handy. They help your child develop reading skills by providing practice in learning and being familiarised with the sight words, which are words that most frequently show up in written texts. When your child masters the sight words, they will be able to read the words automatically when looking at texts, which is important given the frequency that such words are used. Eventually, your child will be able to read with improved fluency and comprehension!
Our selection of sight words flash cards features words from the Dolch List, compiled based on the frequency of words appearing in text encountered by children at different grade levels. The cards are designed for you to easily flash the words and play simple games with your child to help them read more fluently. The arrows below every word are there to remind children to read the words correctly from left to right. The font we use comes with wider spacing and is selected to make it easier for your child to discriminate between similar letters. Finally, each of our cards is specially laminated with rounded edges to be safe for your child’s use.
There is a wide variety of ways to use sight words flash cards. Here are just some ideas that you can start your child off with!
1) Use them as flash cards
Flash the cards one-by-one and read the word out to them for them to grasp the pronunciation.
2) Spell out the words
If you prefer more hands-on activities, you can get your child to spell the words out using foam letters. When they are done, get them to read the word out aloud. You can also hide the card away and ask them to recreate the word without help.
3) Play memory games
Lay out the cards face down on a table and get your child to select the right card based on a given word.
4) Create sentences
For more advanced learners, you can get them to construct sentences using the words. You may like to do examples for them first and eventually let them create their own sentences.
5) Tactile writing
Give your child a “feel” of the shapes of the letters by letting them do tactile writing using items easily found in the house. You can fill up a ziploc bag with dry materials (eg. rice, sand etc) and let your child draw the letters with their fingers. Alternatively, fill the bag with “gooey” materials (eg. cream, paint, jello, hair gel etc) and your child can have fun writing their newly learnt words by pressing down on the plastic and even “squishing” the letters away!
6) Hopscotch spelling
This is a good example of “learning as you play”. To start, create a hopscotch grid on the floor using chalk, tape or marker. Select a sight word and write its letters in the boxes, followed by the whole word in the top box. As your child hops on every box, get he/she to name the letters that he/she lands on, and say the word when the top box is reached.
To enhance their memory and put learning into practice, you can also start your child on writing activities with the words they have learnt and point out familiar sight words when reading texts with them. In addition, supplementing the sight words cards with corresponding pictures, if possible, can be helpful in learning.
For more ideas, check out our free downloadables of sight word activities here! The Internet also offers other downloadables and printables for you to DIY your own sight words flash cards, and some examples can be found here and here. When you work together with your child on the cards, a plus point is that you get quality bonding time as well!
We hope that you are now well-armed with the knowledge of how sight words flash cards can benefit your child. If you are interested, do browse our collection of sight words flash cards at our e-shop and kickstart your child’s reading journey today!
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