Kindergarten Sight Word Lists: A Guide for Teachers and Parents

As a teacher, I've often found myself in disagreement with my colleagues about the teaching of sight vocabulary in kindergarten. While some argue that focusing solely on phonics is enough, others believe that introducing sight words can help students recognize common words more quickly. In this article, we'll explore the importance of sight word lists and provide five printable lists for kindergartners.

Why Teach Sight Words?

Sight words are high-frequency words that readers encounter frequently. By learning to recognize these words by sight, students can improve their reading fluency and comprehension. Without proper instruction, decoding each word individually can make reading sound choppy and negatively impact comprehension. Therefore, it's essential to integrate sight words into kindergarten reading lessons.

The Most Popular Sight Word Lists

Two of the most well-known sight word lists are the Dolch list and Fry's first 200 high-frequency words. While both lists are copyrighted, we can combine them to create a comprehensive set of sight words for kindergartners. These lists include common words that students will encounter frequently in their reading materials.

Printable Sight Word Lists

To make it easier for teachers and parents to implement sight word instruction, I've created five printable lists based on the Dolch and Fry lists. Each list combines the most commonly used sight words, making it a valuable resource for kindergartners.

In conclusion, teaching sight words in kindergarten is crucial for developing reading fluency and comprehension. By introducing common sight words to students, we can help them recognize words more quickly, improving their overall reading abilities. Remember, sight words are not meant to replace phonics instruction but rather complement it. By combining both approaches, we can provide kindergartners with a solid foundation in reading.

* Sight words are high-frequency words that readers encounter frequently

* Teaching sight words can improve reading fluency and comprehension

* The Dolch and Fry lists are two popular sight word lists

* Printable sight word lists can be created by combining the two lists

* Kindergartners need to learn both phonics and sight words to develop strong reading skills

Kindergarten sight word lists