For many of you, this probably isn’t top of mind when think about reading. Sight words are the most frequently used words in the English language also known as high frequency words. They are also words that typically can not be sounded out and are also referred to as the Dolch Word List. By the end of first grade, children should know the first 120-150 words. They are basically memorized and when a child comes across these words there is no need to “figure” it out. This will make reading so much easier for children. We take these words for granted as adults because we read them like any other word. For young children or beginning readers, they are sounding out words and looking at pictures to decipher content. The word cat can be sounded out as well as seen in a picture but “the” for example is not a word that can be drawn or sounded out. If you have a child ready to read, make sure they know these words.
* Point them out in books
* Make them with playdough
* Draw them in the sand
* Write them on index cards and play memory
