Summer is nearing it’s end *sigh* and around here I have been nudging the kids ever so slightly back into the academic direction. The girls, of course, have been busy getting the basics down before their school debut.  {M} will be in Preschool 2 mornings per week and {K} will start half day Kindergarten.  They have been easily persuaded and seem to enjoy the special learning time we have together.  The latest activity we have been working on is letter flash cards, and they almost have recognition of all the letters in the alphabet.  Yay!

The boys though?  Well, they would rather be outside riding their bikes through mud puddles than reading a book.  I get it, I really do.  Summer is a fleeting moment, and you need to squeeze out every second of enjoyment you can!

Regardless though, we definitely do not want them to lose all the skills their teachers worked so hard to give them during the past school year.  {L} especially is in that formative ‘learning to read’ phase, and had mastered a series of entry level reader type books at the end of Kindergarten.  We were given a sight word list at his last teacher’s conference – a list of all the words he should know/recognize.  And though a great resource for us, {L} has had no interest in sitting down with the list.  He actually doesn’t care to sit down with a BOOK either, unless someone else is reading it to him.  I think he gets overwhelmed by all the words he ‘might not’ know.

So, I went into mama research mode.  How could I help him fine tune his reading in a fun and engaging way?

I looked online and discovered the Dolch Word List – which essentially is a collection of the most frequently used words in children’s literature.  It consists of 220 (non-noun) words. There is a separate list of 95 popular nouns. The Dolch Word List was originally compiled in the 1930’s, but still remains relevant today.  How is that for stay power?

With this collection of words, I set to work.  I developed a series of flash cards – color coded by grade level.

Then I sat down with {L} and laid out a few words – ones I knew he was familiar with – to make a sentence.  He read the sentence, looked up at me, and smiled.  Success!  I realized that if I made {L} sentences out of the words he already KNEW he would be less intimidated by reading, and we could slowly add in words to make the sentences more challenging.

He calls this new activity his ‘Reading Game’ and asks for it at least once per day.  Sometimes he helps me make up silly sentences such as ‘Go jump in the little bed and eat a ball.’  Boys will be boys, even when they are reading!

Go ahead and print off these cards and give them a try!  They are divided by level, so you can print only the words you need.  As each level is mastered, print off the next set!  I recommend you print them on white card stock paper for durability.  If you have a big bunch of kiddos that might benefit, maybe even consider lamination.

The 95 noun flashcards can be accessed here

I also compiled a quick list/reference of all the words included on the cards.

It can be used to track progress of which words have been mastered.  I saw some cute tips on Pinterest regarding word flashcards, such as punching holes in one corner and using a binder ring to keep them organized into three categories – 1.) words I know, 2.) words I’m working on, 3.) words I will learn.  A fun way to keep them all organized and keep your child motivated!

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Happy Reading!