Sight Word Practice Outside: 2 Fun Backyard Games

With spring officially here, we’re starting to see some beautiful weather. Who wants to work on sight words inside when there are fun things to do outside? Here are a couple of ways to take sight word practice outside and combine the two.

Sight Word Hopscotch

Use chalk to draw a hopscotch pattern on the ground. Instead of numbering the squares, write in your child’s sight words.

The first player stands behind the starting line and tosses their marker (a flat stone, button, or penny works well) into square one. It has to land in the square without bouncing out. If it doesn’t land within the lines, the player loses their turn and passes the marker to the next person.

Once the marker lands, have your student read the sight word in that square before continuing their turn. Then, they hop through the squares, skipping the one with their marker on it.

When they reach the last number, they turn around and hop back in reverse order. While standing on the square right before the one with their marker, they lean down to pick it up, then skip over that square and finish up.

Next, pass the marker to the next person. The goal is to complete the course with the marker landing on every square. The first person to do this wins the game.

A few extra rules:

• All hopping is done on one foot.
• A player is out if the marker doesn’t land in the proper square, the hopper steps on a line, the hopper loses their balance while bending over to pick up the marker and puts a second hand or foot down, the hopper lands in a square where a marker is, or a player puts two feet down in a single box.

Sight Word Ladder Game

Place index cards with your child’s sight words in a row, as if each card were a rung of a ladder. At the “top” of the ladder, about a foot in front of the final rung, set up a basketball hoop, trash can, or large bowl.

The child starts at the “bottom” of the ladder and walks up, rung by rung, toward the goal, saying the word on each card as they reach it.

If they make a mistake, they have to throw an object into the target from the rung where they missed. For example, use a basketball for a basketball hoop, or a wad of paper or soft ball for a trash can. After throwing the object, they start back at the bottom of the ladder.

The goal is to make it up the ladder without a mistake. Once accuracy is solid, go for speed instead. See how fast your child can walk up the ladder! You can also challenge them by playing along yourself, intentionally making a mistake and seeing if they catch it.

We’re Here to Help

For more sight word ideas, check out our post on what sight words are and why they matter. If you have questions about your child’s reading development, contact our team at ETLC.