If you’re looking for creative ways to teach reading, you came to the right place. Here’s a fun outdoor activity that will help you teach kids to read sight words while incorporating movement, sunlight and fresh air.
To prepare for this outdoor sight word activity, you will need only one thing:
- Sidewalk Chalk
To get started, go outside and use the chalk to write about 10 sight words that your kids are practicing on the ground.
Ok, that’s all the prep. Now you’re ready to play sight word hopscotch!
How to Play the Outdoor Sight Word Game:
There is no limit to the number of players for this game, but you will need at least two. One player (the reader) will call out a word to another player who is the hopper. “Hey Isla, I choose the sight word, “bear”.
The hopper player needs to hop to the right sight word that the reader player just called out. If they hop to the right word, they get a point. First to 10 points wins! Or play without a point system and just hop to the sight words for fun. It doesn’t need to matter what order the players hop to the sight words. They can have fun and take different paths as long as they land on the right word at the end!
Next, switch players so the next person gets a turn to hop. Keep playing as long as the kids are still having fun. Remember, reading is not a race and there’s no right age for when a child learns to read. Some kids learn at 4, some at 5 and some at 8, but they will all learn to read when they’re ready to.
This outdoor reading game is easy and such a fun way to incorporate movement and the outdoors into a typically boring activity like learning how to read with sight words.
How to choose the right sight words for different age groups:
If you’re not sure which sight words you should use, you can find a list of sight words for different age groups below that will help your child learn to read.
Sight Words for Pre-School (Ages 2 – 4)
Sight Words for Kindergarten (Ages 5 – 6)
Sight Words for 1st Grade (Ages 7 – 8)
Why are sight words and outdoor play important in child development?
Incorporating activities like this outdoor sight word game into your child’s learning routine is not just about making reading fun; it’s a strategic approach to building strong foundational skills.
Sight words, often high-frequency words that appear frequently in texts, form the backbone of early reading proficiency. Mastery of these words enables young readers to recognize and understand them instantly, fostering reading fluency and comprehension.
By engaging in enjoyable outdoor activities that reinforce sight word recognition, children not only enhance their literacy skills but also develop a positive association with learning. This holistic approach to education lays the groundwork for a lifelong love of reading and academic success.
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