Learning and practicing sight words in Kindergarten and first grade doesn’t haven’t to be just memorization and recall. Your kids can have fun while mastering their sight words when you start using art to teach sight words.
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Using Art To Teach Sight Words
Shaving Cream Sight Words
Get some inexpensive shaving cream and spray it on your students’ desks, trays, or spread out on.clear trash bags. (This makes for easier clean up).
Students can write their sight words in the cream, get a little messy, and have a lot of fun.
Engaging both linguistic and kinesthetic learning styles will help your students remember their words more than just writing them on a piece of paper.
To add color the experience, add a drop of food coloring to have colorful shaving cream fun. (Definitely test this on a small part of the desk to make sure it doesn’t stain the particular furniture in your classroom.)
Want to make it tasty? Use can whipped cream instead of shave cream. (Make sure to check for student allergies before using food in the classroom.)
BONUS – This is a great way to clean the tops of the desk and make your room smell sooo clean!
Color by Sight Words
Use these adorable coloring sheets that allow you to generate your own color-by-code to practice different sight words with your students.
Download the files, type in a title and five sight words, and the pages will generate. It’s truly MAGICAL!
Switch it up and use different words to keep learning authentic and fun! Try these emoji editable sight word sheets.
Your kids will be smiling, winking, and laughing with tears with just a few of the emojis they’ll color in while recognizing their sight words.
Play-Doh Sight Words
Bring out the Play-Doh or clay and have your students build their sight words. There are so many ways to do so!
- Students build or mold the letter in each word.
- Use a special Play Doh kit that includes alphabet stamps – like this one!
- Students use a template that helps them form the letters on top of a guidance mat.
Kids love to manipulate and play with dough and clay. Use rainbow colors to make the words stand out.
Bonus – This builds motor skills, too!
Bendable Sight Words
Use pipe cleaners, Bendaroos, or Wikki Stix to have your students form their sight words out of bendable materials.
Since many of these activities require a little bit of messiness, make sure to pre-teach proper material use and clean up procedures with your students.
I always like to provide them with examples..and NON-examples. I swear non-examples are more beneficial that non-examples. 😉
You have to be ready for a little mess, but generally, your students will live up to your expectations when they know that you value learning by movement and play.
Using art to teach sight words is so valuable for kindergarten students as they learn how to manipulate and form words. How do you like to practice sight words with art? Leave a comment below to let everyone know!
P.S. If you’re looking for the magnetic wand for the happy pipe cleaner man in the photo, you can find them here. I love using these to pick up random staples on the floor and corners of my classroom, especially after redoing a bulletin board!
More Sight Word Activities
Check out my favorite way to build sight word mastery!