The Dolch sight words list includes high-frequency words that early readers most quickly identify because of how often they appear in texts. 

This board game includes 41 First Grade-specific words from the Dolch list. To play, students will practice reading the sight words, moving along the game board as they identify each one. 

Sight Word Fun for 1st Grade

Use this resource as a reading center activity, with your guided reading group, or as a whole class activity (see below) to practice reading high-frequency words by sight.

Players take turns choosing a card and reading the word out loud. If they read it correctly, they move to the next spot on the board that contains the same picture as the card. If they do not read it correctly, they stay where they are. Play continues until one player lands on FINISH!

The First Grade Dolch sight words included in this game are: 

after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, going, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, then, them, thank, think, walk, were, when. 

Scaffolding and Extension Tips + Sight Word Practice Ideas

This resource can be used as a fast finisher activity in your reading classroom! You can also use this game to create full-class learning opportunities like scoot activities, lesson reviews, formative assessments, and more. 

Challenge students who grasp the content to write the words on a whiteboard or piece of paper. They can also put the cards in alphabetical order.

Invite struggling students to use a visual reminder, like an anchor chart or an alphabet display, to practice sounding out unfamiliar words. 

Knock Off

Have your students stand up and make a line across the room. Project a sight word on the screen and use our Random Name Picker widget to draw a student’s name to answer. If the student correctly identifies the word, they tap the person on their left or right to send them back to their seat. If the student answers the card incorrectly, they must sit out. Play continues until there is only 1 student standing.

Swat! 

During small group instruction, create a grid of sight word cards on top of a table and give each student a fly swatter. Read the word on one of the cards. The first student to swat the sight word correctly sets the card aside in their own pile to keep score. The student with the most cards wins. 

Memory Match

Bonus points for this version of the game as it helps students with their memorization skills! Print 2 decks of cards, shuffle them all, and lay them face down. Each player takes their turn flipping 2 cards at a time until either finds a match and sets the pair aside to keep score.

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

Before You Download

Use the drop-down icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and a Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more sweet sight word activities and games to keep your First Grade students hungry for reading: