Boosting Confidence with Sight Word Books

There’s nothing quite like watching your child learn to read.  It’s like magic seeing them put together sounds and recognize words.  I hadn’t even thought about how people learn to read until my own kids were of age. 

What I began to understand is that learning to read is a journey that includes developing letter sounds and sight words.  Phonics was a concept I remember learning as a tool to sound out words.  However, the English language is tricky, and the rules of phonics don’t apply to every word.  Hence, the beauty of sight words.

Along with the flashcards we received in my daughter’s Down syndrome learning program, we were also provided sight word books.  These books incorporated the vocabulary words she was already learning from the flashcards.

To me, the main benefit of teaching sight words is to build confidence.  What a boost for a child discovering they can read!  Sight words are essentially a picture of letters that they can identify.  Much like looking at a picture of a ball and naming it, the word “ball” becomes a recognizable image.

Building on the vocabulary to make a full sentence, each sight word book repeats the same pattern to develop other, more common words.

EXAMPLE

• There is a bird.

• There is a horse.

• I see a cow.

• I see a lion.

These words (there, is, a, I, see) now become recognizable for the future when they show up.

In addition to the words, pictures of the noun are printed on the page to help a child even more!  It’s like a little hint that helps them become more confident readers.

As my own daughter began reading more, I found that she was most successful when the books were related to a subject she already knew.  Say what you want about watching TV, but the prior knowledge she gained from shows and movies was very useful.  She could identify and “read” the names of characters and places because of her familiarity with the story.

After writing Hey Chicky Chick, I realized I could turn those familiar animals into sight-word books, giving parents and teachers a resource to support their own little readers.  The kids would recognize the animals, colors, and characteristics from Hey Chicky Chick and feel confident reading new words.

I’m thrilled to make these available and love thinking about all the kiddos it can help discover the magic of reading.  Parenting and teaching early learners is both amazing and challenging.  If I can ease the struggles in just a tiny way, I’m happy to help!

FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope you have as much fun as I did watching your tiny humans grow and learn.  You can check out the sight word books, flashcards, and other Hey Chicky Chick-related activities HERE.

Stay tuned for information about using the Hey Chicky Chick-themed early math and number tools.

Happy Learning!!