As mentioned before, Kirby believes that teaching sight words and phonetics together is the best way to set kids up for a future of reading well. In this post, we'll cover some sight word games to play and the words to use when making these games.

When making your own sight word cards, it is important for us to start by mentioning that young eyes need the sight words written very largely (1-2 inches high). The muscles of young eyes are learning how to focus on things. Another helpful tip is to write mainly in lower case letters on pieces of cardboard or another sturdy card paper. 

In choosing which words to begin with, use the names of family members including the child's name with upper and lower case letters. Write the child's name, then Mama (use upper and lower case m with Mama to make it easier), and the names of others who are around a lot. Once these are written on a card, lay them out on the table and pick them up several times throughout the day and say the word that is on the card. Depending on the child's level of interest, this will take varying amounts of time to stick with them- they will learn in their own time. This is a no-pressure, fun way to learn. Eventually, they will say the word before you when they see which one you are about to pick up and then you'll know they have it. This is when you add a new word to the table, keeping the first word in the mix, and so on.