Flash cards are a simple way to introduce kindergarten pupils to sight words. Introduce children to a few words at a time to avoid overwhelming them. Begin by showing pupils a sight word on a flash card that is large enough for everyone to see. Go over the new word with the group by saying it, spelling it out slowly and having the children repeat it. This will help children begin to learn how to identify sight words. You can pair this activity with having the class locate sight words in a paragraph printed on the chalkboard or on a large-print handout.
An interactive memory game will help children learn to identify sight words. Begin by writing sight words on flash or index cards; there should be duplicates of each word, in order for pairs to be formed during the game. Shuffle the deck of sight word cards and spread them out face down on a large table or on the floor. Pupils can then take turns turning over two cards; the child who finds a pair of matching sight words keeps the pair and gets to go again. The pupil with the most pairs at the end of the activity wins.
Once the children are comfortable with the sight words, have them work together to create a board game. Use a large piece of cardboard or poster board as the base and draw a path divided into evenly spaced boxes. Encourage pupils to name and decorate the board game while you write a sight word in each game space. Players should roll a die to find out the number of spaces to move on the board and must identify the sight word listed on the space on which they land. Have more advanced pupils use the sight words in a sentence or define them.
Word searches are engaging sight word activities for kindergarten pupils to complete. Word searches are a grid of letters with words hidden the letters vertically, diagonally and horizontally. For young pupils it's best to make the word searches rather simple, with large letters. You can also have pupils search for sight words in passages from books by providing them with a list that they can check off as they go. Alternatively, ask children to generate a list of sight words from a section of a book.