Whether your school requires you to send home spelling words, or your students’ parents want to work on sight words, many parents want spelling word and sight word support to help their children learn new words. However, parents often aren’t sure how to support their children. They might feel like the only option is paper and pencil practice or flashcards. If you have parents who want to find some fun and interesting ways to help their child learn to read new spelling or sight words, look no further! Here are 10 fun ways parents can practice sight words and spelling words with their kids at home.
Want a printable version of this list? Click on the picture at the end of the post to download a parent friendly, printable version in my free resource library.
10 Fun Ways to Practice New Words with Your Kids at Home
1. Post It Up
This one is simple, but is a way to great start practicing spelling or sight words at home. Post the words you’re working on somewhere in your house that your child can see. Put them in a prominent place like the fridge or by the front door.
2. Make a Memory Game
Help your child write each word on two small pieces of paper. Mix them up, put them out face down, and take turns picking two, reading them, and finding matches. Even if they aren’t a match, have your child read the word.
3. What’s the Password?
Pick one word at a time and tape it by the kitchen or another room in the house. When anyone in the family goes into that room, they can look at the word and read it out loud before going in. If you put the word on a sticky note, you can easily change the password once they’ve mastered the current word.
4. Be a Detective
While you read with your child, give them one or two words to look for. (It helps to write them down so they can see them.) Every time they hear or see one, have them point it out and read it again. Depending on the words you child is learning, it might be helpful to specifically pick books that have a few of the words.
5. Roll a Word
Borrow a die from a board game. Write 6 words on a sheet of paper and number them. Have them roll the die, read the word they land on, and then put a check underneath the word. They could also put a tally mark instead. To make it a competition, you could play with your child. You can each have a different color marker. The first person to check each word twice wins.
6. Shaving Cream Words
Grab some foam shaving cream and spray a pile on a table. Have your child smooth it out and then practice writing each word in it with their finger. This one is messy, but very fun! A yummy variation is to let them write it in whipped cream or yogurt.
7. Mixed Up Words
Write a word on a two small strips of paper. Keep one as it is, and cut the other into pieces with one letter on each piece. Mix up the pieces, and have your child put the letters back in order. You can do a few sight words or spelling words at a time, and, if your child would enjoy it, you can time them to see how fast they can do it.
8. Build the Word
Collect bottle caps from milk or juice containers, and then write the letters of the alphabet on them. Have your child practice building and then reading their words. (You can also use magnet letters or foam letter cubes instead if you have them.)
9. Scavenger Hunt
Write some words on cards and hide them in your house. When your child finds a word, they should read it and collect it. Once they have found them all, lay them out and have them try to read them again. You can make this extra fun by giving them a magnifying glass to help them hunt.
10. Missing Word
Write a sentence that has one of their words in it, but leave the word out. (Example: I see _____ legos. – the missing word is some.) Have your child write in the missing word. (It’s helpful to give them a few choices such as some, we, said, like.)
Click the image below to download the free parent support guide for spelling word and sight word practice from the free resource library for email subscribers.
Keep reading and learning about how to support parents:
- Free Reading Guide for Parents
- Free Math Guide for Parents
- Free Writing Guide for Parents
- Free Phonics Guide for Parents
- Free Science Guide for Parents
- What to Include in a Parent Newsletter
- Top 5 Ways to Send a Parent Newsletter
- Help Parents Understand Why Some History is History
