Those pesky sight words always seemed to baffle my mind. When my own kids were first studying sight words in kindergarten, I was perplexed as to why some words came easy to them and others did not. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to why they knew some words easily and others they had to sound out several times, while others still they consistently mixed up (I’m looking at you… this, those, these).
I think as a parent, this all seems different because we did not focus on sight words in school… or at least we didn’t call them that. I never remember having to memorize reading certain words. Maybe it was that they were just the common words that were easier to read because we saw them more often. It makes sense that they have become focused on them in our education system as a learning block to reading… but practicing them still seems so foreign to me. (Be sure to check out our previous post on how to make teaching sight words fun for kids.)
To make things easier for busy parents (and more fun), I have created this free DIY printable to track sight words at home. Your child’s classroom may also have their own tracker, so be sure to see whichever one fits best with your system at home. It may be helpful to have your own separate tracker at home to verify your child’s performance in class. On the other hand, two trackers may be overkill. So, as always, pick whichever one fits best into your routine and is doable in your own busy life.
Download the FREE Sight Word Tracker here:
All 11 lists of ball words sight words are included in separate trackable printables. I love using the inexpensive dollar store stickers or these. They come in bright colors and are easy to use for little ones. Use three different colors for the following ways to assess sight word progress:
- Pick a color for the 1st level – Are they able to sound out the word slowly?
- Pick a color for the 2nd level – Are they able to say the word AFTER 3 seconds?
- Pick a color for the final mastery 3rd level – Are they able to say the word WITHIN 3 seconds?
Repeat practice on Level 1 & Level 2 colors. You and your child can watch the progress in color!
I’d love to hear how your kids are doing learning to read. Are they working on mastering their sight words? Comment below with their progress.
Do you know a busy mom or teacher who could use this quick free sight word tracker printable? Share this post!