Sight Word Matching Game: Post-it Search

Kids will be moving and reading in this sight word matching game!

Exposure, exposure, exposure! That’s the key to learning sight words! Sight words are the most common words we come across when reading, but often they don't make sense when "decoded."

To decode, in terms of reading, means to sound out. Kids trip up on words like "of," "has," "is," and "the" but those words are essential for early readers. That's why sight words need to be memorized, so that kids know them instantly and can spend time sounding out the words that make sense phonetically.

Let's Play Sight Word Matching Post-it Search!

In this game, kids will get a ton of exposure to target sight words. You can play with 1 sight word or 10; it's really up to you. Because kids can get overwhelmed easily, I recommend choosing 3-5 sight words as best practice. If you need a suggestion, check out this list of sight words for kindergarten.

I always start with the words I see most in my kids' books. So, I'd recommend: I, a, am, the, is, was, has, of, be, to if you're first starting out.

How to play:

It's simple. Kids will look for all the Post-its hidden around the home or classroom and return them to the "home base." Then, they'll match the sight word to the correct page.

1. On colorful construction paper, write down the sight words that your child is working on. Then, tape them to the wall.
2. Write your child's sight words on the Post-Its in large lettering using a bold marker for good readability. You should write each word 4 times. So if you have 5 words, you'll end up with 20 Post-Its written out.
3. Hide the Post-Its around your home!
4. Each time your kid finds a hidden sight word Post-it, have them read the word aloud. Then place it on its "home" - the big matching word on the wall!

TIPS & TRICKS

• To make it easier, have the color of the Post-it match the word!
• Resuse these Post-its when you're reading aloud by having your child place them on the pages as they find the matching sight words. I love to keep the sight word posters up in my house as environmental print. Each time my kid walks by the words, she internalizes them more and more.

Ways to modify your sight word matching game:

Sight words are a more advanced reading skill that begins in TK/kindergarten. You can also play this game with letters, numbers, and even shapes and colors. If your child doesn't know their letters and sounds yet, I recommend playing this fun seeking game with letters instead! You can use capitals and lowercase or mix it up!

Want More Sight Word Practice?

Our sight word matching game is only one of 16 Hands-on games that I use to make learning sight words fun! So, don't wait and check out these game for more fun sight words activities!