Are you looking for some fun and engaging sight word activities for summer school? It doesn’t matter what your summer teaching set-up looks like; extended school year (ESY), at home with your own child, or tutoring. Even if you are at home “kind of” thinking about next year, make sure to bookmark this list for future planning. There are some great sight word activities here for everyone!
I know when I taught ESY in the past I always was searching and thinking of outside activities that were both engaging and hands-on. Some lessons were highly engaging and full of gross motor ideas, and that built in a lot of teamwork. Summer is a great time to reinforce those sight words skills taught during the year! Don’t let that “Summer Slide” sink in.
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Don’t let these activities go to waste! They are a great review for the beginning of the year as well as summer school! Make sure to add these SIGHT WORD printables to your membership library to save for later!
Simply click, download, and print any of these worksheets with your Premium membership! Grab a clipboard, your crayon box, and head outside to work under the sun.
Sight Word Activities for Summer School
1. Sight Word Sand Stampers
Looking at a beach or summer theme for your summer school session this year? How about adding some real sand to your sensory box, table, or even just a tray. Allow students to use their fingers or stampers to write and spell sight words! Practice/review sight words by stamping, writing, and shaking to erase! Looking for some more “out of the box” writing opportunities? You’ll want to check out 13 Fun Ways to Get Reluctant Writers Writing.
2. Sight Word Monthly Mini-Books
No Prep Monthly Mini-Books for the Year is so versatile! Whether you are looking for small group work, home review, or individual practice these are the perfect pair! I like how there are different aspects to this one resource! Mini books with great illustrations to help with fluency. Vocabulary practice, because I feel I never do enough of that, but the students love it. Writing prompts and opportunities. AND even sight word practice with both hands-on and written practice!
3. Roll A Sight Word
If you know anything about me it is that I LOVE providing my students with a hands-on experience with learning! Anything to get my students up and moving – I’m ALL for! So let’s make a game out of learning sight words. Grab a dice and ETTC’s Roll A Sight Word worksheet. Students can work individually or in pairs by rolling the dice and writing the appropriate sight word in their color of choice, but following the key.
4. Sight Word Fishing
You can get as creative as you wish with this activity! Write a variety of sight words on cut-out fish. By placing cut-out fish with a paperclip on the floor “in the pond”, students can head off to fish! Yes, there are small student fishing poles {aff} you can get, or you can be artsy and create your own with a ruler, string, and a magnet!
Once your students catch a fish, have them identify the sight word and even use it in a sentence. Will they catch their fish and be able to put it in their bucket/cup? Or will the fish swim away and they will have to try again?
5. Color By Sight Word
My students get so excited when I tell them to grab a clipboard! I don’t know what it is about them, but they keep my students on task. Who knows, but I am not questioning it! Once you have your clipboard, grab your crayon box and head outside to enjoy the sun and review sight words with these great color-by-sight word worksheets.
6. Poppin’ Sight Words Bubbles
Besides dice and coloring, my students also love using Bingo daubers! Yes, we do have to review our expectations while using them. Yes, you will have to explain that they are not markers and only one dab will do it. I don’t know if this move is still relevant or “cool” to do, but we dab a sight word with a dauber and then do the ever-popular “dab” dance move after each one.
7. Sight Word Hopscotch
Hopscotch with a twist! Create an old-fashioned hopscotch board on your sidewalk or recess area with some sidewalk chalk. Write sight words in each square instead of numbers. Have your students read the sight word each time they hop on a square.
8. Sight Word Printables
Are you ready for another no prep, instant download activity?!? Here we go with our Sight Word Printables – covering 300 different Fry Sight Words! With seven different activities on each sheet, they are perfect for independent practice, guided instruction, whole/small group instruction, or home review!
? Sight Word Printables 101-200
? Sight Word Printables 201-300
9. Pop-Its Sight Word Center
Is anyone else sick and tired of pop-its in the classroom? This past school year I cannot even explain what families thought were appropriate to send in with their kids! Anyway, before I go off on a tangent, let me share the perfect solution for these fidgets! Don’t be frustrated with these pop-its anymore – put them to good use!
Pair a pop-it with this “Pop-It Sight Word Center”! The student identifies the word and ‘pop’ each letter on their pop-it as they write each letter in the blank letter box. The student will get three different opportunities to practice each sight word!
10. Buried Treasure
Ready to reuse that sand from #1 on this list? Write/Print off sight words on small index cards or slips of paper. Bonus if you want to find an outline of a treasure chest and write the word on the chest. Laminate the cards for durability and bury them in the sand. Students can use their hands, fingers, and even shovels to dig for buried treasure.
11. Sight Words Menus
Searching for an activity to use all those manipulatives you have sitting in containers? You know the ones I’m talking about. Those tangrams you use during one lesson. Chips. Art Supplies. Even lego blocks! Practice each sight word with multiple tactiles!
12. Sight Word Passages and Booklets
When I am introducing new sight words this is the first resource I pair my teaching with! I love that there is a mini booklet AND a passage page to go along with each sight word! Depending on time, sometimes my students take home one to review with their families at home. This is a must pair with your instruction that will reinforce the sight word with context and practice!
13. Water Balloon Pop
You can alter this activity to meet the need of you and your students along with the time you have.
One version of this activity is to write the sight words that you want to cover (or have your students write them) in chalk on the ground outside. Have a bucket of water balloons ready to go. Students must “smash” a water balloon onto the sight word you say.
Another version of this game may be a bit ‘wetter’. Instead of having the sight words written on the ground. Write the words you want to cover on balloons instead. Fill them up with water. The object of the game is to have students pop the balloon with the sight word on by any means – pinching, squeezing, or even sitting on it.
14. Sight Word Fluency Passages
Here is another no prep, instant download, and a bundle of fun activity! Each passage contains a certain set of sight words, so students can practice reading them in isolation and then within the text. Each passage comes with simple comprehension questions (multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answers with a sentence starter). Even your low readers can work on the first few passages in this bundle, as the text is very repetitive.
15. Sight Word Phrase Race
Worried about rain ruining your outdoor summer fun?? Don’t worry, bring the fun indoors with a race!! No, not that type of race so don’t worry I’m not saying have your students running around your classroom. I’m talking about a sight word race! All you need is a sand timer, pawns, and this game board!
16. Pool Noodle Sight Words
This is a great activity that you will be using for Sight Words, Phonics, and even Spelling practice! However, it does involve a bit of prep work on our part, but that is okay!
First, head off to the dollar store and grab some pool noodles! (It is a great time to stock up for the summer sessions and upcoming school year!) Next, cut the pool noodle into rings. You’ll want these rings to be wide enough to write a letter on the outside. Finally, write the letters of the alphabet on your rings. One letter for each ring. You may want to write this letter twice or three times so no matter which way the student holds the ring they see it on the outside edge.
Have a dowel or stick available and students can search for the correct letters of the sight word to spell it by placing each ring on the dowel. A plunger would even work too! So that the stick doesn’t move!! Once the rings are placed onto the dowel, it should spell out the sight word stated.
17. I Have, Who Has Sight Words
Students will play a small group or whole group game focused on identifying Sight Words; requiring using picture cues, reading, identification, and response. I love how this game promotes listening and waiting turns, which is something my students had a hard time with this past school year! So they are skills I am sure to be covering this summer school and beyond!
18. Sight Word Color By Number
Every day my students ask me if they can do “one of those coloring sheets”?! Well, they are referring to ETTC’s Color By Number!! Whether you want your students to practice ELA, Math, Phonics, Sight Words, or Letter Recognition this resource has it all! I love to play some relaxing music in the background and allow my students to work around the room with a clipboard and their crayons. Using the key provided, students will color in each picture accordingly to display the picture image.
19. Rock Garden
Time for a nature walk! Get your class up and moving and go for a little walk while hunting for some rocks. Once you find them, allow your students to use chalk to write or paint sight words on the rocks. Create a “sight word” rock garden together as a class. It is important to have a discussion about the dos and do not while using the rocks. Do write and find, don’t throw or toss!
20. I Spy Hidden Sight Words
I am so thrilled to be the first to inform you of one of our upcoming BRAND NEW resources! By popular demand, let me introduce Education to the Core’s I Spy Hidden Sight Words resource! Following one of our Teaching Trailblazers’ favorite resources I Spy Phonics, I Spy Math, and I Spy Early Literacy, we knew you would love these sight words I Spy too!
The best thing about this resource is… it is 100% EDITABLE!!! Be sure to sign up here to be notified when it is released on TPT!
Alright Teaching Trailblazers, what are some of your favorites on this list? My personal favorites on this list are #2, #8, and #10! I hope you can take a few of these activities away from this list and try them out this summer! Be sure to check back in with us and let us know how they went! Even better if you share pictures!
Do you have any fun and interactive activities you incorporate with sight words worksheets? Be sure to comment and share your great ideas—who knows, you may be featured in an upcoming blog! I hope you have a wonderful summer session, and more importantly, a relaxing and fun-filled summer—you deserve it!
Written By – Christopher Olson
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