10 Fun Online Games to Teach Kindergarten Sight Words

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Let’s talk about reading. 

Specifically teaching your kids how to read. 

It’s such a rewarding experience…especially if you’re a bookworm who really wants your child to have a love of reading. 

The moments when things start to click and your child becomes more and more confident with reading on their own are so beautiful. And it makes you feel good knowing that you played a role in not only a big part of their education, but in giving them the foundation for what may be a lifelong love of literature. 

But, let’s be honest: 

Teaching your kids how to read can also be a challenging, frustrating, and long process. 

It can even feel disheartening. Not just for you, but for your child. 

Sure, we all know that kids can struggle with learning new things. The fact that programs like Hooked on Phonics exist (and have for a very long time) is proof of that. 

As homeschooling parents, we understand the importance of developing strong reading skills in our early learners. Sight words (which are commonly used and frequently encountered words) form the foundation of a child's reading journey.

But teaching basic sight words doesn't have to be a hard or monotonous task!

I've compiled a list of interactive and engaging online games that are a great way to make learning sight words a fun (and maybe easier!) experience for your kindergarteners.

What are sight words?

Sight words (like the name suggests) are words that your child should learn to recognize on sight — without needing to break them down letter by letter. 

They typically are not easy to break down or sound out (which is how most of us learn to read words). They often break away from the standard spelling rules, making it hard for young readers to figure out how to say (or spell) them. 

However, as much of a challenge they can present, they’re also essential for younger kids to learn in order to become strong or fluent readers. 

The Two Types of sight words

Above, I said that sight words are typically not easy to break down or sound out. The reason I emphasize typically is because there are actually two different categories of sight words. 

High Frequency Words

Some sight words are what are also referred to as “high-frequency words”, “star words” or “popcorn words”. These are the words that are so commonly used in the English language that your child should know them by sight just for the sake of fluency. 

These frequently used, common sight words include ones like the, it, and, can, and will.

Memorizing these words simply makes the whole reading process flow faster and easier because kids don’t have to pause every single time they come across them. Plus, they’re so commonly used that just mastering recognizing them can empower kids to make it through 80% of the average children’s book. 

Non-Phonetic Sight Words

These words are the ones that tend to not follow the phonetic rules that work so well for decoding other words. Their irregular spellings and pronunciations make them hard to figure out. They include words like fruit, come, and could.

Why are some sight words so difficult?

In short: they don’t follow the rules! Most of the time, when we’re learning to read, we’re taught the phonetic approach. In other words, since we learn how the letters sound individually, when we learn to read, we break the words down into letters and sound them out that way. 

Sure, there’s a bit of complexity in there when you factor in some rules that we may have already learned. For example, that “c” can sound like “s” or “k” (e.g. as in cereal or cake) and that can make things flow a bit less smoothly. But once you know the sound variations for the letters, it’s sort of “figureoutable”. 

But sight words…they’re a whole different kind of rebellious. 

Letters sound like something completely different if they’re paired with certain letters.

Some sound different if they come before a certain letter as opposed to after it. 

Some make a completely different sound when there’s only one of them versus if there are two of them. 

Some of them are silent. 

It’s a madhouse!

Just when you think you’ve got it, you realize you don’t. It’s enough to make anyone want to cry and throw in the towel. 

How to teach sight words

There are several different ways you can teach important sight words to your kids. Here are a few of the most popular ones, all of which utilize index cards or flash cards. They combine repetition (seeing, hearing, speaking, spelling, and writing) with physical movement to help store the words in your child’s long-term memory bank.

See and Say

Have your child look at the word and then say it while underlining it with their finger. 

Spell Reading

Have your child say the word, spell out the letters, and then read the word again. 

Arm Tapping

Have your child say the word, spell the letters while tapping them on their arm, then read the word again. 

Air Writing

Have your child say the word, then write the word in the air in front of the flash card. 

Table Writing

Have your child write the letters on a table, first looking at and then NOT looking at the flash card.

Online sight word games for kindergarten 

Once your kids have reached a base level of competence with sight words, you can help them reinforce what they’ve learned through games. Below are some fun sight word games your kindergarten students can play online that they'll love! 

Sight Word BINGO

This fun game combines sight words with the classic game of BINGO…and throws in some fun graphics.

Select a word group (Pre-Primer, Primer, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, Nouns, or All Words). You can also choose the size of the grid — the bigger the grid, the harder the game. You will hear a word read aloud and try to find it on your board. Click the word and if you’re right, a bug will appear. When you find a full line of bugs, it’s BINGO and you’ll unlock a new BINGO Bug to your collection. The goal is to collect all 20 BINGO Bugs.

Sight Word Smash

This game is pretty straightforward. Simply listen for the word you’re supposed to find and then smash the block with the correct answer on it. (Note: Be sure to click on the correct mode when starting the game. You can either play with a mouse or on a touchscreen.)

Sight Word Safari

Listen for each word, then click on the correct animal. Once you find enough correct words, you get to pick a friend to join you on your safari! (Note: Be sure to click on the correct mode when starting the game. You can either play with a mouse or on a touchscreen.)

Teach Your Monster Sight Words

In the sight words hide and seek game, the goal is to catch as many “sighties” as you can before the clock runs out. The word you’re looking for will be read aloud, so be sure to listen carefully. Little animated monsters with words written on them will then pop up, so you have to move fast.

Out of Sight Words

In this word recognition game, you move through 10 stages. Each stage has a scene with letters at the bottom. Read the sight word and then find its corresponding image in the fun illustrations. Simply click on the word at the bottom of the screen and then find it in the picture!

Submarine Spelling Practice

Let Spelly Pelican help you with sight word practice! Choose a word list based on skill or grade level (Pre-Primer, Primer, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd). Then correctly spell all of the words you hear as you have fun exploring the ocean depths. 

Starfall Sight Words Match

Here’s another classic game with an online twist!  Click a card to turn it over and reveal the word. Then click another card in an attempt to find the matching word. When you get a matching pair, the word will be read out loud and added to your progress bar at the bottom. Once you get 6 matches, you’ll move to the next level with new words. 

Kitten Hop

Kitten Hop is a multiplayer language arts game that allows students from anywhere in the world to race against each other while practicing word recognition!

Players get to choose a username and then play either against live players or computerized players. Sight words will be read out loud for you to find. The goal is for you to get your kitten to jump from one ball of yarn to the next by clicking on the ball of yarn with the right word on it. The first player to make it to the couch wins. (Note: If you miss hearing a word, there is a button to repeat it.)

Snowball Fight

Throw the snowball at the right bear while trying to avoid getting hit by too many snowballs. Hit bears by clicking on the right word. Click the wrong word and YOU get hit. (Note: If you miss hearing a word, there is a button to repeat it.)

Out of Sight Words

In this word recognition game, you move through 10 stages. Each stage has a scene with letters at the bottom. Read the sight word and then find its corresponding image in the fun illustrations. Simply click on the word at the bottom of the screen and then find it in the picture!

Teaching kindergarten sight words doesn't have to be a daunting or tedious process. With the help of technology and interactive online games, learning becomes an exciting and enjoyable experience for little learners.

The 10 games I've shared offer a variety of engaging activities that will captivate your child's attention while reinforcing sight word recognition and reading skills.

Remember, incorporating interactive learning experiences into your child's education journey is a fun way to foster a lifelong love for reading and language. So, go ahead and explore these great games with your kindergartener, and watch as they develop their sight word proficiency while having a fantastic time!

Leave a comment below and let me know: are there any other online sight word games for kindergarten you have used and loved?

Related Posts

• What to Look For in a Homeschool Literacy Program
• Using the Hooked on Phonics® App to Teach Your Child to Read
• What are the Best Reading Apps for Kids?

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