As your child finishes preschool, kindergarten sight words become an important part of their education. By the time they finish the year, they should have mastery of a certain list of sight words. Kindergarten moves from strictly observational learning to more concrete and complex instruction. Sight words for kindergarten are a vital part of this learning. Your child’s knowledge of these words will impact their future success in reading.
What Are Sight Words for Kindergarten?
Sight words are words kindergarteners should know by the end of the year. They are words that are found frequently in written text. Your child should be able to instantly recognize them on sight, hence the name sight words. Kindergarten-level readers should not have to sound out or ask for help in reading the words. This refers to pronunciation, spelling, and differentiation in meaning.
List of Sight Words for Kindergarten
- A, am, an, and, any, are, at, away
- Be, big, boy, but
- Can, can’t, came, car, cat, come
- Dad, day, did, do, dog, done, down
- Eat
- Find, for, fun
- Get, girl, go, going, good, got
- >Has, have, he, here, how
- I, if, in, into, is, it
- Jump, just
- Like, little, look, long
- Make, many, me, mom, must, my
- Name, nice, new, no, not, now
- Of, off, old, on, once, only, or, other, our, over
- Play, please, pretty
- Ran, read, ride, run
- Say, said, see, she, sit, so, soon
- That, the, there, they, this, to, too
- Under, up, us
- Very
- Walk, want, was, we, well, went, what, when, where, who, why, with
- Yes, you
More Information about Sight Words
Apart from this kindergarten sight word list, your child should also be able to spell, write, read, and instantly recognize their name. Your child should also be able to recognize certain math words. These include one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Shape words are also important. Rectangle, square, triangle, and circle are a good place to start in kindergarten.
Sight words can also include colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, and white are important. (Rest assured your child won’t have to worry about spelling the word “turquoise” or “cyan” in kindergarten.) Sight words list vocabulary seen at a high frequency in text. Without knowledge of these, their reading efficiency will be seriously slowed.
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Sight Word Examples Info:
For example, if your child has trouble differentiating between “of” and “off,” they will face some confusion. They must know not only the difference of spelling, but the difference of meaning. It is also important that they understand the variation in pronunciation. Despite the similarities of the two words, they sound different when spoken. Getting comfortable with a list of sight words for kindergarten will alleviate these concerns.
Please note that this is only meant as an example of a sight words list for kindergarten. You may find others that have fewer words, more words, or slightly different words. You can find plenty of other examples on any educational pre-k or kindergarten site. Words list basic vocabulary and above all should create the essential framework of reading skills that your child can build upon.
What Should a Child Know by Kindergarten?
By the time your child enters kindergarten, they should have an understanding of basic colors. They should be able to count to ten on their fingers. They should be comfortable with the entirety of the alphabet.
Additionally, they should have some practice with writing, reading, and spelling their name. They should have the ability to recognize the most basic sight words. A few examples of these are he, she, the, and it.
Observation and curiosity should be encouraged as early and as often as possible. The ability to identify objects and make observations will help them immensely with kindergarten sight words.
For example, knowing an object is blue will help connect the spelling and structure of the word blue to the color itself. This extends to identifying the object as a blue hat. They can then associate the object and the color to their corresponding words, and so on.
How Many Sight Words Should a Kindergartener Know?
Most children know approximately 50 sight words by the end of kindergarten. However, learning more is always helpful. If your child is comfortable with at least 50 words, try incorporating some new vocabulary to their sight word list. For kindergarten students, be aware that trying to learn too many at the same time may hurt rather than help.
Avoid studying a high number of sight words at a time. Instead, focus on groups of words. For example, if you’re studying over the summer, find or create a list of sight words for kindergarteners. If the list has 100 words, split them into groups of 10 or 20. This will ensure a steady and comfortable rate of learning and practice.
Fun Ways to Practice Kindergarten Sight Words
There are endless ways to study kindergarten sight words. Keep in mind that the suggestions below are just that: suggestions. They are not concrete and can be changed in any way to best fit your child and household.
Word hunting game
Use flashcards or cutouts of kindergarten sight words. Hide them around your child’s room or the house. As they find words, have them call out the words. This involves not just reading, but exciting hide-and-seek feeling. Just make sure to hide the words in places that your child can reach!
Word searches
A fun twist on the traditional worksheet,word searches are perfect for students who love puzzles. You can print some out or make one up at home. If you’re making one, be careful that you spell the words correctly. Additionally, avoid writing backward words. Your child is still learning to read from left to right, after all.
Coloring pages
Coloring pages to help your student learn kindergarten sight words come in many forms. Some may display a matching game, wherein your child must find matching sight words in a table and color them in.
Some have pictures with a corresponding phrase that they must read aloud and fill in with the appropriate sight word. Others still are created similarly to “color by number” activities. A key is given with a list of sight words and colors assigned to them.
A simple illustration alongside the key will have words written in the spaces. For example, if your child is coloring a tree, the key will say something like “boy = brown” and “the = green.”
The trunk of the tree will have the word “boy” written inside of it, while the leaves will say “the.” Activities like this require your child to read as they proceed. As they complete the activity, encourage them to read the words out loud.
For even more ways to study, consider joining ArgoPrep's subscription program. Their high-quality educational content is both interactive and expertly designed to guarantee your child’s success.
