Sight Word Games

Dolch sight word games provide K-2 learners with fun, interactive ways to learn sight words. Most students find sight words tricky. Students cannot sound out sight words, but must recognize the word, its pronunciation and meaning at a glance.

Dr. Edward William Dolch coined the term ‘sight words’ in his 1948 book, Problems in Reading, which has since become a classic text for literacy teachers. Dr. Dolch used a variety of common children’s books and created a list of 220 words that children must learn by sight. Sight word games take the so-called “Dolch List” of words and create interesting games to help children recognize these words quickly, easily, and fluently.

Sight word games incorporate many techniques, using flash cards, verbal cues, and manipulatives. By using various techniques, educators reach children through the three major learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic or tactile. Children also enjoy the variety found in sight word games. When classroom exercises seem like play, children respond well. Sight word games easily fit the bill through enjoyable, creative lessons.

Online resources typically provide games geared towards auditory and visual learners. Flashcards, printed games, Bingo-style games, and Flash-enabled sites use printed and spoken words that address the majority of learners.

Many teachers struggle with how to teach reading and phonics to kinesthetic or tactile learners. For students who learn with their hands, some suggestions include:

  • Use modeling clay to make letters or sculpt sight words. Students can use a pencil, toothpick or another object to imprint the words into the clay.
  • Make a game for students using alphabet stamps, big sheets of blank newsprint, and stamp pad ink. Ask students to stamp out sight words onto the big sheets of paper, then provide magazines and catalogs for them to snip out images and glue onto the paper to illustrate their creation.
  • Take a walk around the classroom, school, or neighborhood. Ask students to identify objects they see that are on their Dolch sight word list. After students return to the classroom, have them paint or draw what they saw, writing in the sight words on their art project to practice spelling.

Adult reading students, whether they are adults learning to read for the first time or ESL learners, also benefit from learning sight words and playing sight word games. Educators may alter the tone and style of the games to suit a grownup audience, but the original list of Dolch words forms the basis for games for these groups, too.

Many Web sites offer site word games, as well as tips and techniques for teachers to create their own site word games. Use the original list compiled by Dr. Dolch on Dolch Site Words to create your own games. You may also want to visit Learning Books, which includes free excerpts from Dr. Dolch’s writing as well as many games to choose from to share with your students.

If you're planning a lesson around sight word games, Teacher Net provides a list of lesson plan suggestions to use as a springboard for your own classroom needs.

Here are some great places to find sight word games online:

  • Read Aquarium provides sight word games including favorites like hangman, word match, find the missing letter, and many others.
  • If you don’t mind a Flash-enabled site, the Mansfield Richland Public Library has posted many interactive games that include an audio portion. The audio accompaniment is an excellent learning aid for adult and English as a second language students. The site includes matching games, sight word stories, refrigerator magnet poetry, and many other games suitable for older students.
  • The School Bell includes an online “Dolch Word Kit” with sound that helps children practice all of the sight words, and include pronunciation too. More flash cards and various games are also available.
  • The EFL Playhouse includes free downloadable and printable ESL Dolch site word games suitable for young ESL students.
  • Create and print your own Bingo-style Dolch sight word card games online. Bingo Card Creator has a free trial version online. The paid version is also available.