Teaching sight words to children should be a fun, hands on, and evolving process in any classroom.
There isn’t one lesson completed in an single day that teaches students sight words.
Rather sight words should be taught on a regular basis in a classroom and involve elements that interest your students and make them want to learn. But how do we as educators do this?
How did I come up with the idea of Sight Word Stations?
A few years ago I was helping my county piece together our report card. The group determined that the areas that were “powerful” for promotion included phonics skills and awareness, math skills based on number sense, and sight words. I was doing a good job with phonics skills by giving my students a plethora of activities over a long period of time using a variety of high interest materials. Similarly, I felt that math skill and number sense abilities were taught and practiced to mastery.
But what about sight words? I was using flash cards, readers, and booklets to teach and evaluate their progress. Was it fun? No. Was it hands on, fun, or meaningful to my students? NO. I had all these ideas on ways I could help promote sight word retention in my classroom but I lacked the TIME to put my ideas together. My learners needed TIME to invest in learning to read and write basic sight words. I mean, I knew if they could read and write their required words, then they KNEW those words.
The idea of sight word stations was born. Everyday I give my students 10-15 minutes of sight word themed centers to work solely and completely on sight words. I set up 6-8 activities up using each table in my classroom, one activity per table. Then my students use open choice selection to go to each station over the whole week. I vary the number of stations based on my class size. If I have a smaller class, I don’t need as many areas for them to go so 6 might work. But if I have a larger class, I will need more stations for them to go to.
How do we prep and rotate Sight Word Stations?
Since all my tables are color coded and my baskets are the same color…
this is what my prepped baskets look like.
You can read more about prep time here.
How does each student know where they can go?
In each basket, I have a matching color coded class list that is laminated. Please note, I flipped it over so you couldn’t see my students’ names. I also have a Vis a Vis Marker for each student cross their own name off when they complete that activity.
I do not use anything fancy. Use construction paper and cut it into squares. Each table sits 4 people so I created 4 squares per color. We lay the papers on the floor. If that table has a square, they can grab it and go to that table. When they are done with that table, the return the square.
I also use a “necklace” that is two sided. One side is for daily 5 and the other is for sight word stations.
{This takes the place of the class list in each basket.}
What do I put at each station?
I created packs of ready made, easy to prep, FUN sight word activities. Each set of stations has a large variety of activities. I pick 6-8 from the ones provide and place one at each table. If one station isn’t as popular one week, I might change it up for the next week. If one station is a class favorite, I can also choose to keep it for the next week! of the 13 activities provided in each pack of Sight Word Stations, I still only open 6-8. I made Dolch Words for my K class to use for the past two years. Since my own child is now in 1st and working on Fry Words… I knew I had to make these packs for Fry Words as well.
Magnetic Word Station– use magnets to create the sight word,
then write the word in the blank provided.
{These mats should be laminated so dry erase markers can be used and the same mats can be used over and over again.}
I also labeled each activity with the number it goes with. This activity sheet belongs with list 8! This is helpful if different students are using different words or if a sheet gets lost along the way.
I have two versions of sight word cards provided, each on one page. These are idea to send home weekly or to have your students cut apart and place into baggies for personal learning.
Roll the Word is a game to allow students to practice up to 6 words at a time.
There are two die options as well as two types of answer sheets.
You can use the die template provided to make a paper die or use a foam die with the inserts provided.
(link to foam die on Amazon here.)
Here is what one of the versions looks like during play.
I provided three sets of scrambled sentences and matching printables for each work list.
I like to use the scramble pieces in calendar and the printables during Sight Word Stations.
The sentences on the scramble pieces and printable are the same. 
Our students an unscramble the sentence,
then work to do the same on the printable like I am showing below.
I also provided LOTS of varieties of these Rainbow Word Printables
to allow students to color, paint, or otherwise create their sight words.
Using watercolors is here will be a HUGE hit.
In fact, my own child would RUN to my classroom after school to paint her words like my class did.
We also work with this read along activity to read and
find sight words
and answer questions about the passage.
Here is another activity… Break the Code!
This is SO MUCH FUN and a create way to write sight words.
And a class hit always… MEMORY.
And these sight word puzzles.
There is a table tent with color coded words.
Students make the sight words that match that same color.
New to the Fry Word Sets is Sight Word Trees.
These trees come in printable form as well as a game set.
Where can you find these?
You can find the Dolch Sight WORD Stations here.
Sight Word Stations PrePrimer~Bundle
Sight Word Stations-Primer~Bundled
Sight Word Stations-First-Grade~Bundle
Sight Word Stations 2nd Grade~Bundle
Sight Word Stations 3rd Grade Bundle
And here are the Fry Sight Word Stations broken down by week Word-Stations-Fry-1–2233543″>
Fry Set 1
Fry Set 2
Fry Set 3
Fry Set 4
Fry Set 5
Fry Set 6
Fry Set 7
Fry Set 8
Fry Set 9
Fry Set 10
and with the money saving bundle.
Not only do I love these stations, but so do my students. I recommend these to all that I work with because the students really enjoy them and they are very easy to set up! I do have one question, my district has quite a different list of sight words that we teach our students. It is very hard for me to find resources that use the words we do. I already own 3 of your pre-primer stations, trying to look for those that have the most commonly shared words that go with my “rainbow” list, but I wanted to know if you would be interested in making these for me with the words that I provide?
THANK YOU!
I truly LOVE these and use these regularly in my K classroom- dolch version of course. I share these fry sets with my school’s first grade. I don’t see why you have to JUST those district words. I am surprised your district doesn’t use just the PrePrimer set, then move to Primer. Each set takes several hours to make so I just don’t think I have the time to do it. You can send me your list and I will look at it.
Thank you for posting this! I was just researching new ways to reinforce sight words. These activities are fun and engaging! I am heading over to TPT to purchase some now!
This looks like a lot of fun!
Oh my! So glad I was directed to this blog! Love these ideas!
I love this post about sight words! So many great ideas!
I also love the ESGI giveaway. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing these great ideas!
Soooo many great ideas. Going to share this with colleagues!
What a great set of sight word stations!
Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for then Sight words ideas. I am always looking for new ways for my students to practice sight words.
Thank you for posting. These are great ideas and I can’t wait to try them out in my class.
Thanks for these new ideas!!
I moved down to prek for one inaugural year, but will be returning to Kindergarten. LOVE this for my return:)
I love your blog! Very useful information! Thank you!
Love these resources! I always need new ideas!
I obtained several new ideas after reading this post – thank you!
Love it, thanks!
These are some fun ideas. My students will truly enjoy them.
Great center activities!
Oh my gosh bookmark this page! This is something I need to work on. Thank you!!!
I love this!! I am going to introduce Sight Word Centers next week!! 🙂 Thank you very much!
So glad I was directed to your page and found this information!
Sight Word Centers—-Love the idea!
Love this idea. I am always looking for new sight word activities and I love this! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing all your wonderful ideas!
Thank you for these great ideas for sight word centers. My kkids are having a time learning sight words this year. Gotta bump up my game plan.
I love how you manage these centers. I always have a hard time to manage them.
Thank you so much for all of the sight words ideas! I have been looking for a way to manage centers and I love the way you do it!
Love these ideas for my centers!
These are amazing! My kids just are not retaining the sight words this year. It would help if they practiced at home but…
Great ideas for sight words!
Thanks for all the wonderful sight word station ideas.
Great hands on ideas!
Wow that is great stuff! Thank you!
Thanks for a great blog! The ideas and activities shared are very kid and teacher friendly!
Great ideas!! Thank you for sharing!!
This is an awesome plan! I love the organization. Thanks so much!
Always looking for new ideas, thanks!
We some center ideas can’t wait to try
Thanks for sharing!
I love these ideas!
I have been struggling with finding more meaningful ways to incorporate sight words into our daily activities! I can’t wait to add these to our centers.
Wonderful ideas! I love getting new idea to practice sight words!
What a great idea to paint sight words with water colors. This looks like a fabulous set.
Great ideas! Thanks.
Great center ideas for sight words! Can’t wait to use them!
I like these ideas, I teach in a montessori classroom and am looking for ways to incorporate sight words learning independently and in a fun inviting way. With today’s high standards our early learners need to be ready to read!
Great ideas! Thank you!!
These are great ideas. I love how itganized everything is and the color coding.
*organized
Love these ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Can’t ever get to many sight word ideas
Wow! Just like you mentioned at the beginning of your blog post, making sight word instruction more meaningful and engaging for my students is a goal of mine this year. I love your ideas and I know that they will help get my students excited about learning their sight words!
Great post! Wonderful ideas on making sight words really stick.
Love your ideas!
I love the idea of using the sight words with colors so that the children are interactive in their learning. Thank you
I love these sight word ideas – especially since they are fun to do. I look forward to trying them out. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing!
This was one of the most amazing blogs ice ever read. These activities can be hands on and can be either group orientated our individualized. I am looking forward to trying out some of these idras in my classroom. Thank you for sharing
Great ideas!
Oh my! A bit overwhelming, but really like the idea of stations. Could you post a few videos of you and/or the kids in action? That would explain it to me much better. Thanks!
I can not post videos of my students because of privacy reasons. So sorry.
I can tell you this… it is not quiet at all!
We are all reading, saying, spelling words the whole time.
and it is WONDERFUL. 🙂