Last Updated on January 6, 2025 by Editorial Team
Reading is a key skill, and its foundation is built during kindergarten. This is when kids take their first steps toward becoming fluent readers.
To help kids start their reading journey well, it is important to teach them sight words. Sight words are small words that kids need to recognize quickly when they see them in text.
These words are unique because they don’t follow regular phonetic rules. This means children cannot sound them out using standard methods to understand them.
The best way for kids to learn sight words is by memorizing them. This helps them identify the words instantly, making reading easier and faster.
To support parents and teachers, having a list of kindergarten sight words is very helpful. It makes teaching these words simple and organized.
We have put together a detailed list of 120 sight words to help young learners. You can download this list as a printable and start your child’s reading journey today.
Why is it important for kindergarteners to learn sight words?
Imagine teaching phonetic rules to kids and skipping sight words. Even though kids will be able to break down long words and read them, they will still get stuck with the smaller words that cannot be decoded.
As many sight words are high-frequency words, they appear quite frequently in written text. Not knowing them can hinder the flow and ultimately cause frustration and dislike toward reading. That is why it is necessary to start with easy-to-learn sight words and then move on to complex decoding skills.
Apart from the one stated above, there are other reasons that make learning sight words important for kindergarteners:
- Sight words help build vocabulary in young kids.
- They learn the correct pronunciation of words.
- They have more words in their knowledge to communicate with peers and adults.
- They learn to use these words while framing short sentences.
- It helps them identify and read these words when they browse through their favorite books.
- It boosts their confidence and encourages them to learn more.
Which sight words should kids master in kindergarten?
In this section, you will find a list of 120 sight words kids can learn in kindergarten.
Please note that kids don’t need to learn all 120 words given on the list while they are in kindergarten. Some schools require them to learn only 50 sight words by the end of the school year, while others expect them to learn 100. It is better to know what your school follows and prepare kids accordingly.
While it is crucial for kids to learn sight words, try not to overburden them by teaching them 15-20 words at once. Start slow. See how well the kid is learning and take it forward gradually. It is better to learn a few words perfectly than to get confused between a bunch of them.
| I | a | it | is | in | to | go | we | me | he | on | at |
| be | am | do | so | no | of | as | an | by | the | and | you |
| for | can | see | one | big | not | two | run | was | but | out | she |
| too | eat | ran | saw | now | are | get | did | our | ate | his | had |
| him | her | how | any | old | let | ask | who | off | day | yes | all |
| know | said | take | look | walk | come | down | jump | here | help | make | play |
| find | that | they | with | what | like | this | went | must | soon | want | ride |
| came | into | some | then | when | were | from | over | them | just | have | love |
| away | three | where | could | funny | there | going | every | after | under | would | little |
| please | should | red | yellow | blue | green | black | brown | white | orange | pink | purple |
In case you’re wondering if there is any particular order in which kids need to learn the words mentioned in the table, there is no particular sequence. You can start teaching one-letter words and move on to two-letter, three-letter, and so on.
Or, you could make your own list in alphabetical order or in any order you like before you introduce them to the kids.
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Sight Words Flashcards
Flashcards are known to be great learning tools not only for kids but also for college students as well as adults. This is because they make learning fun and promote active recall in the brain. Considering the same, we’ve designed sight word flashcards for our little learners.
The flashcards are kept colorful and the words are bold enough so that students are easily able to read and do not lose interest easily. Check them out below, easily download the PDF by clicking on the “download” button, and print to start using them for your tiny tots.
How can kids learn sight words?
You can use multiple ways and resources to make learning sight words interesting and fun for kids. Here are a few ideas:
1. Books:
Sight word books are great resources to help kids learn to spell and read sight words. When kids trace and sound out words multiple times, they develop a stronghold on these words and their usage.
2. Apps:
Technology has made learning much more accessible and engaging. Combining book learning with online resources like sight-word apps and online games can offer a welcome change in the learning routine. Plus, these can be used while you are on the go, so learning continues even when you’re not at home.
3. Games:
Board games and other offline games can also prove to be useful in teaching little learners sight words. Families can spend some quality time together on a game night while sneaking in fun learning experiences for their kids.
4. Activities:
Flashcards and coloring sheets are some activities that can make sight word learning enjoyable for kids. These are easy to put together and are not too heavy on the pocket. Another activity that kids absolutely love is making playdough sight words. Just grab some playdough and start rolling to form the words kids are currently learning. Spelling contests are another great option to revise sight words. But kids must be well aware of them before they can actually perform in a contest format.
Click the buttons below to download the flashcards and the list completely FREE!
Summing up
Learning sight words is vital for kindergarteners. However, it is important to remember that every child learns at their own pace, depending on their interest and abilities. Our job is to introduce kids to these words and give them multiple and interesting opportunities to practice them.
With time and regular practice, most kids are able to master a good number of sight words. This improves their spoken language and reading abilities, creating a strong foundation to become proficient readers in the future.
