Summer Fun Activity #1

Words on the Shirt
Parents: You may have noticed that when your child's field trip tee-shirt came home for the summer that on the back of the shirt are "100 Sight Words"! They were put there for a reason- so that parents have a list of words at their fingertips for their students to practice over the summer. The first thing to do is to see which of the words your child knows. The standard is that kindergartners should leave the grade level with at least 20 words that they know in a "snap." They know these words so well that they can say them faster than you can snap your fingers. You may find that your child knows more than 20 words! Wooo hoo!

This is a list of the words on the shirt that you can copy:
a about after all an and are as at back be because big but call came can could day did do dog down for from get go going good got I if in is it had have her him his home just like little man me morning mother my night not of off on one onto our out over people play ran saw school see she so some soon started that the their them then there they this three time to too two up us very water we went were what when will with would you

After you see which words your child knows, work with those words adding a couple of new ones when they know all the old ones three times in a row in a snap. One way to do this is to copy the entire list and then just highlight the words as your child masters them. You can make flash cards, of course, and review the words each night when you are reading to your child but it should be more fun than drill. Another way to practice the words is to have a list in the car in front of your child and when you are driving or waiting, play games with the words.

These are some hints that you might give.
Find the word that rhymes with not (got)...
Find a word that ends with -ill (will), -ack (back), -ig (big), -all (call), -ad (had) -an (man)... Say the sounds, not the letters.

Find a word that begins with /sh/ -when the letters have slashes around them, it means to say the sounds- (she)How many words can you find that start with /th/? (that, the, their, them, then, there, they, this, three - 9!)

Find the word that is the opposite of big (little) opposite of front (back), opposite of night (day), opposite of up (down), opposite of he (she), opposite of bad (good)...

After the child gets the "gist" of the game - you can make up any questions that you like - let him/her ask the questions and you find the words. This is a really great car game! The only thing you have to do is make the list of words for the car.

Happy summer!