Not-So-Spooky Sight Word Lanterns

I’m super-excited about the special Halloween sight word activities I have for you today. If you have a child who needs a little extra motivation to work on sight words, this may do the trick.

 

Halloween sight word activities! Instructions and activities for learning sight words with fun paper lanterns.

I had to get pretty inventive to hold Liam’s interest back when he was working through his kindergarten word list, and I wish I’d thought of these Halloween sight word activities for him.

My girls think learning new sight words is fun, and they adore playing around with flashlights and anything that glows or shines in the dark.  As soon as I made these paper lanterns, they wanted to take them into the closed-up pantry to experience them at their glowiest. (What? That’s not a word?!)

 

RELATED: Printable Fall Sight Word Game (free!)

 

These were really easy to make, and it wouldn’t be hard to change out the words.

 

Halloween sight word activities! Instructions and activities for learning sight words with fun paper lanterns.

 

Materials

Orange construction paper
Yellow tissue paper
Scissors
Oval cutter (optional)
Black permanent marker
tape
battery powered tea lights

Instructions

1. Cut the paper in half lengthwise.

2. Cut out a window in the middle of the paper. I used an oval cutter, but you really could do any shape.

 

3. Cut the tissue paper so that it will fill the window and have a little extra on the sides.

4. With scrap paper underneath to catch the bleed through, write a sight word on each piece of tissue paper.

5. Tape the tissue paper to the inside of the lantern. It should be backwards since you’re on the inside.

 

6. Roll the paper into a cylinder and tape closed. I found it easiest to do this around a can from my pantry.

 

 

7. Turn on the battery-powered tealights in a darkened room, and place a lantern on top of each one.

 

Halloween sight word activities! Instructions and activities for learning sight words with fun paper lanterns.

Halloween Sight Word Activities

Besides just plain reading the sight words, there are several fun activities your child can do with these lanterns.

 

Spin It

 

I always like to start with just recognizing the words. For this first activity, set all the sight words facing the child. Then the adult reads out one word to him or her. The child finds the word that was read and spins it around backwards.

 

Word Search

 

This next activity is a little harder, but still centered on just recognizing words. Place the lanterns at various locations around a darkened room. Call out a word, and have the child go find that word and turn off its light. Repeat until all the lights are off.

 

Word Reveal

 

This game is the hardest. Line all the lanterns up facing backwards. Then, one at a time, turn each lantern around to reveal its word. If the child can read it, then the word stays facing forward. If not, spin it back around. Continue through all the lanterns. In the end, pull the missed words forward and practice them before trying another round.
I hope these sight word lanterns will motivate and excite your little readers, and make learning to read feel magical to them.

 

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Halloween sight word activities - fun practice in the dark! How to make paper sight word lanterns, and suggested sight word games to play with them.

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