Books and Giggles
The challenge with teaching sight words is that children need so much repetition – and that can get boring. So having a big list of fun ways to practice sight words can help you keep your students engaged longer. If you teach kindergarten, then you probably already know that sight words are a big step…
Inside: Print out this engaging editable Valentine’s Day sight word activity that helps children remember their sight words and high frequency words. A little Valentine’s Day fun is just what the doctor ordered this year. We all need to spread some extra joy and celebrate the magic of love and friendship. You can talk about…
Inside: This free printable Valentine’s Day sight word spinner activity helps children to learn any sight words in an engaging and enjoyable way. Valentine season is upon us again and in our house, that means candy and baking! My children love to share their love with their friends with a little something sweet. I designed…
Inside: This polar bear sight word activity uses an editable free printable so that you can use your own word list, or even work on just the alphabet. With the winter weather keeping a lot of us indoors, now is a great time to explore some winter-themed activities. This cute polar bear “fishing” game is…
Inside: This post helps parents and caregivers understand when it’s best to teach sight words. We also review which early literacy skills children should master before jumping into sight words. We spent a lot of time working on sight words when my own children were small. Yes, we played games and made the experience playful….
Inside: If you’re going to teach sight words virtually this year, these fun ideas will help you get started. We’re starting the school year online this year, and a huge percentage of parents here have chosen to have our kids do school 100% virtually for the first couple months. That’s what my family is doing….
Inside: Sight Words vs Phonics – which should kids focus on as they learn to read? This post will help parents and caregivers navigate helping their children learn to read. What ‘Sight Words’ Means A sight word is a word that doesn’t follow normal spelling patterns. These are words like come, who, or said….
Inside: These sight word activities include active learning ideas, sight word games, printable activities, engaging worksheets, and tips for teaching high-frequency words at home. As I write this, I know lots of families are stuck at home and want to work on sight words with their preschooler or kindergartner. They need motivating ideas that will…
Inside: A free printable sight word activity that goes with the book The Mitten by Jan Brett. (Disclosure: Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.) If your students…
Inside: Grab these free printable seasons emergent readers, and learn how to personalize them for each student. A couple of weeks ago my little 4-year-old friend would NOT let go of the emergent reader I’d printed out for him. This sweet boy, my friend’s son, is all about dinosaurs, and I’d given him a dinosaur…
Making sidewalk chalk paint is a classic summer activity. Messy and fun, it’s a great way to get kids writing as well as exploring color and creativity. Even better, it’s easy to make! When the days are warm and sunny, but not too hot yet, we love to spend time outside with sidewalk chalk. When…
This St Patrick’s Day sight word activity is an engaging way to practice pre-primer sight words. We added some leprechaun gold to these clip cards to add an extra element of fun! I overheard my girls talking about leprechauns the other day. They were raiding my craft supplies for glittery stickers, craft sticks, and my…
I’m excited to share our favorite educational summer activities for kids ages 2-8. I hope they’ll soon be your favorites too! Learning outside can be so engaging for kids. There’s plenty of space for playful and creative activities, and you don’t have to worry about making a mess. Plus, you get to be outdoors in lovely hot weather!…
These water learning activities are a fun way to work on letter recognition or sight words over the summer! I love hot weather, and so do my kids. Every year we look forward to playing in water in the summer time. From water table to swimming pool, they’ve always enjoyed water play in our hot Texas weather. So if…
This week we’re kicking off our summer fun learning series with 30 AWESOME sidewalk chalk games for literacy learning. Whether your kids are working on letter recognition, letter sounds, handwriting, or sight words, we’ve got you covered. Time to get outside and LEARN! Super Fun Sidewalk Chalk Games When the weather is warm, I love being outside with…
These Mardi Gras kids’ activities all use leftover Mardi Gras beads for hands on fun! We celebrate Mardi Gras here in our corner of Texas. It’s not as big as New Orleans, but oh my goodness it’s fun! For several years now, we’ve trekked down to Galveston Island for their daytime children’s parades. The kids…
This apple theme sight word game was fun to make, and my girls were excited to play with it. I’m can’t wait to share it with you! I’ve been trying to get into an autumn frame of mind here. I keep imagining chilly mornings, hints of fall foliage, and apple picking. Instead, here in Texas, we have warm, humid…
Kids learn sight words best when they’re actively engaged. For some children, that can be sitting down playing a fun sight word game like this ladybug themed game I made. Other kids need to use their whole body! My son Liam was like that. He had no interest in doing any kind of worksheet, but if he…
We had so much fun with our ladybug theme, I decided to make a ladybug learning game. We’re going to use it to practice sight words, but you can also use it to work on math facts or ABCs. Even better, kids of differing abilities can play together. Ladybug Learning Game Materials You can print your own copy…
Learning doesn’t have to stop at snack time. Over here we love playing with ABC pretzels. Here are ten little literacy games you can play with your kids while they eat. The games are listed from easiest to hardest so that you can easily find one at the right level for each child. 10…
Here’s a fun, Easter time activity for learning letters, sight words, spelling words, or math facts. It’s perfect for kids who crave movement. Pretty much all you need are plastic Easter eggs and the free printable in this post. You can have multiple kids play it together, even if they’re working on learning completely different things. If you’re a…
When you have an active child who needs to move, practicing sight words can be challenging. Santa Claus can help! This activity for kinesthetic learners is a fun way to motivate kids at Christmas time. My son, Liam, needed extra motivation to work on sight words. He isn’t the type of kid who will sit…
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. I had to get pretty inventive to hold Liam’s interest back when he was working through his kindergarten word list,…
If you have a preschooler who is ready to learn a few early sight words, this quick project is for you. When my twins were at that stage, I made them tiny, personalized books. My results weren’t beautiful, but my girls loved them. Mini-Reader Suspense Part of what sparked my kids’ interest was watching me…