This is the Best App that Helps with Reading Books That Include Sight Words

June 3, 2022

App that Helps with Reading Books That Include Sight Words

The Dolch List of sight words includes 220 common words that children are eventually expected to know by sight. These words are divided into lists across several grades, and young readers will become accustomed to memorizing sight words as part of their reading curriculum.

Sight word mastery aids in reading fluency, and practicing sight words at home is essential to help children gain mastery. Reviewing sight words doesn’t have to be yet another assignment, though. Parents can use games and apps to help children master their lists.

What is the best app that helps with reading books that include sight words? What are the best games that parents can play? Here are some options:

  • Sight Word Go Fish
  • Sight Word Match
  • Sight Word Scavenger Hunts
  • Sight Word Twister
  • Flash Card Games
  • Lesson-based reading apps

Sight Word Games and Activities

Children learn through play, and sight words are easy to incorporate into fun activities and even family games. Schedule sight word adventures throughout the weekend and encourage children to learn all the words on their list.

Ready to have fun and learn? Here are games to play at home:

Sight Word Go Fish

Parents will need to make four cards of each sight word. Children can help make cards, too. Decorate the backs to create a unique deck. The number of cards that each player receives is dependent on the number of players, pass out seven cards (for just two players) or about five cards for three or more players.

Play Sight Word Go Fish per the rules of the standard game. This means that the rest of the cards in the deck are allocated to the ‘fish pond.’ Players take turns asking for cards. The object of the game is to get four cards of each word. The player with the most matches is the winner.

App that Helps with Reading Books That Include Sight Words

Sight Word Match or Memory

Whether parents dub this game ‘Sight Word Match’ or ‘Sight Word Memory’ doesn’t really matter; the game is played the same regardless of the name. Parents and children can make two cards of each sight word. Shuffle all the cards and lay them face down.

Players take turns turning over two cards; the player with the most matches is the winner. Don’t forget to say each word when the card is flipped.

App that Helps with Reading Books That Include Sight Words

Sight Word Scavenger Hunts

Children can go on a sight word scavenger hunt anywhere. Parents simply need to make a list of all the sight words their child needs to learn. Then have the child mark off each word once they find it. This is a great game to play in grocery stores or when going on trips or running errands. Children will enjoy looking for all their must-know words.

Sight Word Game-Based Apps

Children who love technology could enjoy game-based apps that focus on sight word mastery. Both Google Play (for Android) and the App Store (for Apple devices) offer many different apps that can help children learn their list of sight words. 

Some apps are free, but others might include a fee. Parents also can click on any app before downloading it to read a description about how the app is designed. Free apps might include ‘in-app purchases.’ 

If parents don’t want their child to be authorized to make purchases within an app or game, they need to disable this option. Business Insider offers an easy tutorial on how to disable in-app purchases on both Android and Apple devices.

Sight Word Twister

If children already have this game at home, parents can easily modify it to transform it into a sight word game. Tape index cards with sight words on the colored circles. Then play per the rules. When children move to a new circle, have them say the sight word. Parents can (and should!) play this game, too.

Flash Card Games

Many children learn quickly and easily when using flash card methodologies. Parents just need to make a card for each sight word. Just use index cards for flash cards.

Parents should shuffle the flash cards before practicing with children. The goal isn’t to memorize the cards in order but to identify the sight word quickly and automatically.

App that Helps with Reading Books That Include Sight Words

The Best App that Helps with Reading Books that Include Sight Words

Some children are reading below grade-level expectations. They could struggle with reading fluency and comprehension and might have difficulty gaining mastery of their sight words, too. While games and activities can help children practice in a fun environment, some struggling readers also could benefit from a more immersive and lesson-based reading app.

Parents need to research different apps to find the one that best meets their child’s needs and helps address their struggles. However, parents might focus on finding the best app that helps with reading books that includes sight words.

While games and activities can help children master sight words, books that include these words can help children identify sight words within stories. Reading apps that incorporate sight words into their books and lessons provide another option to help children gain mastery of these words and increase their reading fluency.

Readability provides books that are leveled for each child. At each level, children have their own library of books to read. Leveled libraries include a mix of fiction and non-fiction books and stories all incorporate the Dolch sight words to help children gain mastery.

How a Reading App Can Benefit Children Struggling with Sight Word Mastery

Parents might wonder how a reading app like Readability can help their child mastery their sight words. If children have difficulty understanding these words by sight, how will reading stories or books with these words ease their struggle?

Every book is read aloud in the program, and Readability includes a built-in AI tutor that is programmed to recognize each child’s voice. If a child struggles to pronounce or identify a sight word, the tutor will provide help.

In addition, Readability also helps children build their vocabulary skills, too. Each book includes a vocabulary list; children also can tap any word in a story to hear the word’s definition or hear it used in a sentence. Every discovered word is added to a child’s personal word bank, and they can review words again and again.

Readability Helps Children with Comprehension, Too

Children who use Readability can practice vocabulary, sight words and gain fluency as they read stories aloud. However, the program also helps children who struggle with reading comprehension.

When a child finishes reading a story in the program, the AI tutor asks the child a series of questions about what they read. This is how the program measures comprehension. 

If a child answers a question incorrectly, the tutor will show the section from the story with clues about the answer and the tutor will read the section aloud. The child will then have another chance to answer the question.

By providing clues and showing children how to go back in a story to find the answer, Readability helps children to understand the benefits of re-reading to improve understanding. In this way, children can learn that it’s ok to re-read a section or an entire chapter if they feel that they didn’t fully understand what they read.

Parents can check their child’s progress with Readability at any time. Readability includes a parent portal called the Parent Dashboard that shows parents their child’s reading data, including fluency (measured in words read per minute), reading level, comprehension and how long the child used the program.

When children are struggling to master their sight words and games or flash cards don’t seem to benefit their struggles, parents can use a reading app like Readability that offers books that include sight words. If children struggle, the tutor can provide help and guidance. Reading stories aloud also can help children gain fluency and confidence.

Interested in learning more about Readability? Sign up for a free trial today.