What are sight words, and how do you teach them so they stick?

Sight words checklist

• Teach each new word with all five steps: say it, count sounds, match letters, mark the heart part, write and read it.
• Point out the regular parts of tricky words, not just the odd ones.
• Teach regular high-frequency words alongside the phonics patterns they use.
• Introduce only a few new words at a time.
• Review new words the next day, later that week and again the next week.
• Mix known words with new ones so practice ends on success.
• Read each new word in a real book or sentence soon after teaching it.
• Listen for speed: a sight word pops out in about a second.
• If words keep slipping, check letter sounds and blending first.

Try this today

1. Heart word hunt. Pick one heart word, like said. Read a picture book together and have your child tap the page every time they spot it. Count the finds, then write the word together and draw a heart over the tricky letters.
2. Napkin sound boxes. Draw three or four boxes on a napkin or scrap of paper. Say a word, push a coin or a cereal piece into a box for each sound, then write the letters in the boxes. Try the, can, was and she.
3. Word flip. Write eight known words and two new ones on paper squares. Take turns flipping a card and reading it. If you read it, keep it; if not, sound it out together and put it back. The player with the most cards wins.