Pre-K Sight Words Digital I Spy Game

Pride. You can see it in the faces of young readers, you can hear it in their voices, and you can feel it in your teacher’s heart. There is such a sense of pride that comes with learning to read it truly gives me goosebumps. Teaching sight words is a way to evoke a real sense of, “I’ve GOT this!” in our youngest learners. This Pre-K Sight Word Digital I Spy set is a great way to work on learning sight words without it being “work”!

Learning to read is a valuable gift we give children, but ultimately they have to do all the legwork to get that package open. There are many facets of learning to read, from letters and sounds to fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and MORE. This can feel like a daunting task!

Introducing sight words (also called High Frequency Words) to preschoolers instills that “I can read!” sense of pride into their heads before they even know all 26 letter names and sounds. 

Sight Words I Spy for Preschool is the perfect way for budding readers to practice their first list of sight words! Each slide contains one of 40 Preschool Dolch words. Children can read the word, hunt and peck on the keyboard to type the word, and finally click and drag the playdough splotches to cover the word on the grid.

Preschoolers will exercise their fingers, learn computer skills, and engage in meaningful sight word practice in one online activity. Check, check, and CHECK!

Why do preschoolers need to learn sight words?

Dolch Sight Words are simply words commonly found in easy reader-type text written for young children. There are 220 total Dolch sight words, which are broken down into grade levels from Pre-K to 3rd Grade. 

There is also a list of Fry sight words. Confused? Me too! The Fry word list is an updated and extended list of the most frequently used words in our language. While the Fry list is all-encompassing (1,000 words) and lists words in order of frequency used in adolescent reading material, the Dolch list is smaller and broken down by grade levels for teachers to manage throughout the school year.

Many teachers LOVE teaching sight words because they can get creative, hands-on, interactive and messy, which isn’t always possible when we’re just decoding words.

We teach sight words for two main reasons:

1. Some of them are “rule breakers” and can’t be sounded out phonetically (ie., of, one, said)
2. When children can easily recognize commonly found words without laboring over every sound, it improves reading fluency

The Dolch Preschool sight word list includes 40 words: 

Children will work on identifying, reading, spelling, and writing the words over and over in grades Pre-K through 3rd grade and even beyond!

How to use Pre-K Sight Words Digital I Spy Game

This activity can be downloaded for use with Google Slides or Seesaw.

Click on the link below. Choose which version you want, then click to open.

Remember to make your own copy of the activity.

This awesome activity includes 40 slides! That’s one slide for each Preschool Dolch sight word.

Click on the first slide, making sure you are in “Edit” mode in Google Slides as opposed to “Presentation” mode. If you accidentally click, “Present,” just hit escape and you’re back to editing mode.

Help your child read the word in the top box. Help them identify the letters to spell the word. Have some fun with it and maybe SING the word, SHOUT it, or read it in a ROBOT voice, WHISPER voice, etc.

Click on the “Type It” box and then use the keyboard to find the letters and type the word.

Finally, it’s time to play “I Spy!” Ask your young detective to find the word on the grid. Once spotted, he can click on a colored playdough blob to drag it down onto the grid to cover the word.

When ready, click the next slide.

Do as many slides as your preschooler is interested in. DO NOT feel you must complete all 40 slides in order to be successful with this activity! You can keep coming back to this over and over again.

Young readers’ first sight words experiences should be non-threatening and confidence boosting. Every child is different, so it’s important to remember to keep early reading instruction FUN, ENGAGING, and STRESS FREE for ALL!

How can I help my preschooler become a great reader?

It’s never too early to nurture a good reader. Although formal reading instruction doesn’t begin until sometime during the preschool years (ages 3, 4, or 5-ish), learning to read is a journey that began early in life when you sang and talked to that cooing bundle.

As your bundle grew, those coos became babbles and before you knew it you had a toddler boldly declaring, “No!” to your every request. All of that language development was paving the way towards reading success.

Preschool reading instruction should be easygoing, engaging, and meaningful to the child. Perhaps the most important element is developing a sense that reading is a good thing. 

• Share books together on a regular basis
• Encourage preschoolers to retell familiar books/stories in their own words
• Sing rhyming songs
• Find letters and familiar words in real life, like on road signs and shop windows
• Let your child choose books they like
• Talk about books, stories, and characters
• Point out high frequency words and letters in books
• Go to the library
• Be a good example by reading in front of your child
• Play games focused on the first sounds in words, or rhyming words
• Provide supplies for drawing, writing, coloring, and painting
• Find sight word games online
• Place sticky notes with letters or sight words around the house as a fun game of “Hide and Seek” words
• Make flash cards for the Pre-K sight words list
• Create engaging sight words activities that incorporate all five senses
• Use online games to supplement or create engagement as needed

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