• Power words are also commonly known as sight words or word wall words.  They are words that your child should be able to read and recognize within 3 seconds or less because they are some of the most common words your child will encounter in text as we begin to become better readers.  These words are also words that don't usually follow traditional spelling and phonics patterns so your child would have difficulty sounding them out, such as the and what.  We practice our power words at school on a daily basis, but here are some activities to practice at home too.  If you ever need other suggestions of ways to practice these words, please let me know.  Thank you for your continued support at home!

    25 Days of Power Word Activities

    Here are great activities you can do to help you learn your sight words. Pick a different activity to do every day.
     
    • Rainbow Words: write your words in various colors.
    • Picture Words: draw a picture and write your words in the picture.
    • Ransom Words: write your words by cutting out letters in a newspaper or magazine and gluing them on a paper.
    • Delicious Words: write your words in whipped cream, peanut butter or anything you can eat.
    • Good Clean Words: write your words in shaving cream on a counter or in the tub.
    • Dirty Words: write your words in mud or sand.
    • Pasta Words: write your words by arranging alphabet pasta or Alphabits and glue them on paper.
    • 3D Words: use modeling clay rolled thinly to make your words.
    • Magazine Words: use an old magazine or newspaper and find your words in the articles.
    • Cheer Your Words: pretend you're a cheerleader and call out your words.
    • Sound Words: use a tape recorder to record your words and their spelling.
    • X Words: write two words having one common letter so they criss-cross.
    • Other Handed: if you are right-handed write your words with your left.
    • Choo-Choo Words: write several words end-to-end as one long word, using different colors of crayons or ink for different words.
    • Back Writing: use your finger, draw each letter on a partner's back, having the partner say the word when completed.
    • Flash Writing: in a darkened room, use a flashlight to write sight words in the air.
    • Newspaper Words: search a newspaper page from top to bottom, circling each sight word as you find it.
    • Popsicles: make sight words using popsicle sticks.
    • Etch-a-Word: use an Etch-a-Sketch to write your sight words.
    • Concentration: if you have 2 sets of cards (or make an extra set) you can play Concentration.  Choose several pairs of matching words and spread them out face down on a table/floor.  As you turn over each word, you must read it.  If the words match, you with them; if not, the words are turned back over.
    • What's Missing: place 3-4 words on the table, read the words, and close your eyes while someone removes one word.  See if you can identify the missing word.
    • Painting Words: paint words on the cement with water.
    • Making Words: make words out of pretzels, Twizzlers, gummy words, sour snakes and other long, skinny candies.
    • Flashlight Fun: take a flash card with a word on it and look for that word (5-10 times) in a newspaper or in a magazine with a flashlight.  Each time you find the word, circle it and and say the word.
    • Bingo: create bingo cards with several of your sight words on them.  Have the family get together for a fun game of bingo.  Be sure to take turns as the caller, so that you read aloud the sight words for everyone else.

     

     

    Other Power Word Games

    Memory- Classic Memory game…Write words two times on index cards. Flip over. Find the match. If you
    can not say the word you do not get to keep the card.

    Go Fish- Write words two times on index cards. Deal 4-7 cards to each player. Players take turns asking
    each other for words to make matches. First player with no cards wins.

    POP!- Write sight/vocabulary words on Popsicle sticks. Write the word POP! on 2-4 sticks.
    Stick all Popsicle sticks words down into a cup. Each player takes turns taking a stick out. If they can read the word they get to keep the stick. If they do not, put the stick back in. If you pull POP! you must put all your sticks back in the cup. Player with the most sticks at the end wins. Keep POP! sticks out of cup once
    they are pulled.

    Shake it up!- Write words on index cards. Put words into a container and shake the container. Dump words
    onto the floor. Any word that is facing up can be played. Player reads the words. If they can read it, they keep it, if not the other player gets a chance to read that same word. If no one can read it, pull the card out of the game. Repeat with words that were not facing up. Most cards wins.

    Hop on a Word- Write words on large pieces of paper (copy paper size works best). Also write START and FINISH
    on a piece of paper. Lay papers on the floor. Player will start on the START and “hop” on the words to get to the finish. (arrange papers so the player will need to hop on at least 3 words in order to get to the FINISH.). Player can hop to any word to get the FINISH but the words must be touching (the player can go left, right, forward or backwards). They may not hop OVER words to get to the FINISH faster.Add more players…
    they will have to “find” a way to get to the finish first. Only one player may be on a word at a time.

    Flip a Word- Write sight words on the back of playing cards (themed ones from Target’s dollar bin work great)!
    Use a spatula and “flip” a card over. If the player can read the word they get to keep it.

    SWAT! - Lay cards out on a table or floor and write words or phonograms on the cards. Get 2 fly swatters.
    A 3rdplayer calls out a phonogram or sight word and the first player to find the word and “swat” it gets a point.