Sight Word Activities for Kindergarten Children With Learning Problems
Mastery of sight words, the common words that make up over half of all reading tasks, is vital to reading success. The sight words need to be learned so well that readers recognize them automatically. These words are so crucial to reading success that they are taught in the earliest reading lessons, often beginning in kindergarten. Most students memorize the assigned sight words with little effort, but a few students struggle to learn them. These children need specialized teaching techniques to get them over this educational hurdle.
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Provide External Motivation
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Ideally, children learn because they want to satisfy an internal desire for knowledge. Kindergarten students who struggle with sight words may need some external motivation because the task is unexpectedly difficult for them. Try creating a visual representation of progress using a chart or graph, a poster with items to color for each word learned, or a token to be earned for mastery of the required words. External rewards for learning can gradually be diminished after the child has experienced success.
Simplify the Required Tasks
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Some kindergartners who struggle to learn sight words can benefit from simplified tasks during the learning process. For example, instead of having the child choose a correct word from an array of four choices, offer two choices. Instead of using similar words as distractors (like "has, hat, had"), use words that are grossly different from one another (like "run, go, had"). Decrease the number of items on a page and offer more pages for practice, cover items not yet answered, and shorten sentences to be read.
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Focus on Fewer Words at One Time
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Introduce words at a slower pace if a kindergarten student is having difficulty with mastery. Instead of working on a list of 10 words, focus on two to five words. Cycle words through review frequently and whenever the student evidences difficulty with a word. Retest the student's mastery of previously-learned words to be sure that the words are staying in the child's reading vocabulary.
Use Multi-Sensory Practice Techniqes
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Practice spelling target words using many different types of activities, including copying on paper, white board and on computer, writing in sand or salt with a finger, spelling with magnetic letters, writing with markers, using paints and making letters with clay. Have the children spell words out loud, listen as others spell the words, and watch the letters light up one at a time on a computer screen. Spell with macaroni letters, letter tiles and flashcards.
Play Games to Improve Motivation
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Games can provide struggling kindergarten students with necessary motivation to learn sight words. Many games provide the immediate feedback that improves student retention, as well. You can modify familiar children's games, such as Bingo, Memory or Go Fish, to be used with sight word flashcards instead of the traditional decks of cards. Children may also enjoy picking out words on their lists from blocks of text and highlighting them, cutting the words from text to glue onto a page for a collage, or spelling the words with cut-out letters glued to a paper.
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