by Rachel from Reaping What I Sow.
I have a preschool daughter. And if you have one of that age, you probably hear what I hear all day. “Momma, what’s that?” “Momma, what do those letters say?” “Momma, how do you spell that?” Oh yes, we have reached the age of curiosity about letters. She is starting to understand that all of those letters we have been singing (and signing) for the last 3 years can come together and make words. I could see that she is quickly approaching wanting to read. To open that door I decided to make sure that she knew the letters that went into the words around her the most before we tried learning new words in books. And “sight words” were born.
Well, not really at that moment. I actually did this when I was preparing to leave for boot camp for the USMC many years ago. I was told that I would need to know an entirely new vocabulary in order for my transition to be easier. I was encouraged to learn a few of those new words before I left. So my walls were littered with “port side” and “starboard”. My kitchen said, “chow hall”, my bathroom “head”. Sure enough, it helped more than I ever thought. When the Drill Instructors were having their “fun” with us, telling us where to go using this new vocabulary, I had an advantage. I became a leader because I knew where to go. And trust me, knowing where to go while you are there is half the battle.
Since it had been tried and proven successful, I went ahead and started labeling everything in my home that my daughter was familiar with. Now, I hear her say, “Momma, p-o-t-t-y spells potty!” and “C-o-u-c-h spells couch!” Very soon she started to sound out the letters, and understand that each letter has a sound that comes together to make a word. Today as we were preparing to leave the house, I heard her say, “Duh-o-rrrrrrr….Momma, it says door!”
What you do first is find out what is most familiar to your child. I started during potty training, so the potty and sink were a major part of her daily routine. She also knew what the door was, the table, couch, chair, etc. Just find whatever your child knows the best. Then write down the word on a piece of construction paper, or use a note card. Make sure to use all capital letters, since that is the easiest to learn. Then, tape them up! Put the word where your child can see it, at their level so they can touch it, and touch the letters. At first I had to go over the letters with my daughter. But, pretty soon she had it down on her own. Leave them up! The more exposure they have, the better chances your child has of remembering it, and soon memorizing it.
My daughter loves having the independence to spell out words she knows. When I put up a new word, she gets very excited to tell me that she can spell “b-o-o-k s-h-e-l-f”, or “c-o-f-f-e-e t-a-b-l-e.” She will tell visitors that she can read, and then take them by the hand and “read” all of her sight words to them.
Now, my house may look a little crazy, with everything labeled. But, if you come here often enough, you should be used to it by now. And honestly, after tripping over the toys, did you even notice? Well, not everything is labeled. I did have to convince my daughter that the “c-a-t” wasn’t interested in having construction paper taped to her tail. But everything else, it’s covered. I encourage you to put these up all over your house…then, sit back, and watch their vocabulary grow!
About Rachel: I am a 24 year old stay-at-home mom to an almost four year old girl, Harley, and a 13 month old son, Micah. I used to be a US Marine, but now I run my own little platoon here at home. My husband, kids and I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and do our best to give our kids a natural and safe environment. I home school my daughter, baby wear, cloth diaper, and love every minute of motherhood. From a Marine to a Mom, that’s me!
You can find Rachel’s blog, Reaping What I sow, here.
