Sight words are a crucial part of reading for all students, especially those in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. If students have a solid base of sight word knowledge, it anchors their reading and allows them to focus more on decoding unknown words in the text. But how do teachers help build students’ sight word vocabulary? Here are some free sight word games you can use during centers and guided reading groups to increase your students’ number of known sight words and have fun doing it!
4 Free Sight Word Games
Poke! Sight Word Game
This game is my students’ FAVORITE. They constantly beg me to play just “one more round” which turns into a couple more rounds since it’s a quick game.
In order to prepare the game, you will need to print the sight word flashcards that your students are currently working to master along with multiple Poke! cards.
To play, show each student in a group one flashcard at a time. If they can read the word quickly and correctly, they get to keep the card. If they read it incorrectly or hesitate to read it, then the next student gets a turn to earn it. BUT if a student gets the Poke! card, they’ll lose all of their cards to the player beside them. This part is their favorite and always leads to lots of laughs!
Go Fish Sight Word Game
In order to play this sight word game, print two copies of each sight word that students are working to master. They play this game using the typical Go Fish rules. Students take 5 cards and try to make matches. Student 1 asks Student 2 for a specific sight word. If Student 2 has the card, they hand it to Student 1 to make a match. If Student 2 does not have the card he/she says “Go Fish” and Student 1 draws from the pile. Students continue alternating turns until no cards remain. The winner is the student with the most matches.
Another fun alternative to the game is letting students literally fish for sight words! Add a paperclip to each sight word and place them in a shallow container or on the ground. Attach a magnet to the end of a string on a pencil to use as a fishing pole. Students can either fish to find matching flashcards or work to collect sight words that they can read correctly.
Memory Match Sight Word Game
This game also requires you to print two copies of each sight word you want students to practice. Students lay all of the flashcards face down to begin the game. They take turns selecting 2 cards in order to find matching sight words. If they find a match, they get to go again. The game continues until all matches have been found. The winner is the student with the most matches. Make sure to have students orally read the cards they select for additional practice.
Slapjack Sight Word Game
Slapjack is another simple sight word game you can play with your students. Place the desired flash cards in a pile face down. The teacher will flip a card over one at a time. If a student knows the word, they quickly slap it with their hand. The student who slaps the word first, gets a chance to earn the card by correctly reading it. If they’re incorrect, the next student gets a chance to earn the word. I also like to sneak some of the Poke! cards as an additional challenge. They do not want to slap the Poke! card because it means they lose all of their cards.
Another version of this game is to lay all of the cards on the table face up. The teacher says one of the sight words and the students have to be the first one to find it. If they find it first, they get to keep the card. The game continues until all cards are gone and the winner is the student with the most cards. You can have students slap the words with their hands, pointers, flyswatters, or any other fun tools you may have!
Sight Word Games Implementation
Literacy Centers
These free sight word games are an easy literacy center you can use! Once you teach students the games, they can play them independently. You may want to print different sets of cards throughout the year based on what students are currently working to master. I also have different thematic flashcard sets that I alternate each month as a way to change it up or you can use the Editable Flash Cards to make just the sight words you need each month.
You can keep copies of the flashcards at various centers for additional activities. For example, at word work center students select a flashcard and practice writing that sight word using magnetic letters, rainbow writing, letter tiles, etc. During independent reading, they can tally mark the number of times they find the specific sight words in their books.
Guided Reading Review
Playing a sight word game at the end of your guided reading groups is a fun way to build in extra practice. Make sure to differentiate based on students’ ability levels by using the sight word flashcards that the group is currently working on mastering. This review game also serves as a quick informal assessment of the sight words students already know or are still learning.
Activities for Fast Finishers
I recommend keeping several sets of sight word flashcards always available for students. Allow students to play the game with a buddy if they finished their work. This is a simple way for students to independently practice their sight words.
At our school, we are fortunate to always have a lot of adult volunteers. These volunteers are dads in our Watch Dogs Program, copy moms, and high school teacher cadets. By having sets of sight word games always available, I can easily have the volunteer play a game with a group of students. It requires NO additional prep and I’m always ready on the days I have a volunteer show up that I wasn’t expecting!
Sight Word Assessment
Practicing sight words through these free sight word games is one aspect of mastery, but it is also crucial for us to assess students’ progress. You may be interested in checking out my corresponding blog post about sight word assessments where you can download another FREEBIE!
Sight Word Flash Cards FREEBIE
Are you interested in implementing these free sight word games and activities with your students? Be sure to download this freebie to start playing the games in your classroom! The freebie includes the preprimer words, but you can also download the entire set of sight word flashcards.
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