10 iPhone Apps For Learning Sight Words

on NannyNet: http://www.nanny.net/blog/10-iphone-apps-for-learning-sight-words/

When your child is learning to read, there’s a good chance that the curriculum used by his or her teacher will rely heavily on the memorization of and ability to recognize sight words.

The Dolch List of Basic Sight Words is comprised of 220 words that can assist in the corrections of reading difficulty or help prevent those problems from occurring when properly memorized.

Some of these words, however, don’t sound exactly like they’re spelled and can be challenging for young readers to decipher using the “sound it out” phonics method.

Tech-savvy parents can use these 10 apps, all available in the App Store, to help their children master sight words and be on their way to fostering a love of reading.

1. Sight Words List – With this free app you are able to make your own flash cards and record them so that your child experiences a technologically-advanced education while still hearing a familiar voice coaching him. The app also allows you to add new lists in addition to the Dolch list to give your child a jump start on reading and word recognition. There are three different gaming modes with five separate levels that make using this app both fun and challenging, so kids are constantly growing as their skills improve.
2. Spell Blocks with Sight Words – Combining the value of the Dolch List with the recognizable, ubiquitous alphabet blocks that take up residence in every little one’s room, this $1.99 app encourages kids to spell their sight words out after hearing them spoken. Letters are scrambled, allowing kids to show off their burgeoning skills by putting them in the right place. A Word Proficiency scale helps you determine which words your child knows well and also gives you the ability to flag those words. Spell Blocks with Sight Words grows with your child and offers five word levels for continued growth.
3. Sight Words by Photo Touch – You can customize Sight Words by Photo Touch to reflect only the words your child’s class is currently focused on, or let him continue to grow at his own pace if he’s ready to advance earlier. This free app also lets you take photographs with your iPhone’s camera and record words in your own voice to expand the list beyond the constraints of simple sight words.
4. Learn Sight Words – Flag words that need more attention while shuffling through the Sight Words list with this $0.99 app, which is free from distracting advertising and easy for even small children to use. The large letters are also easy for little ones to see, and have a numbering feature to let you and your child know how far he’s progressed.
5. Smiley Sight Words™ – This massive $1.99 app goes beyond the Dolch List, offering more than 1,600 words from the Fry, Pinnell-Fountas and UK lists as well, just to name a few. Recorded pronunciations help your child master their sight words with 10 customizable sets of flash cards, while customized player profiles make Smiley Sight Words™ a great choice for families with more than one beginning reader.
6. Sight Words 2 – Sight Words 2 is a free app that combines Sight Words with the ever-popular Bingo, making learning a fun and interactive experience. With levels ranging from easy to hard and five built-in games, Sight Words 2 is a great choice for first and second grade students.
7. Sight Words – Directed at pre-k and kindergarten students, the free Sight Words app is brought to you by the developers of Baby Flash Cards and Sight Words 2. With three separate games and the ability to set the difficulty levels, Sight Words is an entertaining and effective tool for helping your small child grasp and memorize his sight words.
8. Sight Words & Spelling with Pixopop HD – Learning Sight Words with the adorable Stitch Bunny and his friends is an engaging experience for youngsters. Available in the App Store for $2.99, Sight Words & Spelling with Pixopop is an effective tool for commanding kids’ attention while helping them learn the fundamentals of reading. Offering a Flash Card, Word Challenge and Spelling mode, Sight Words & Spelling will grow with your child’s abilities and help him master early reading skills.
9. K-3 Sight Words – Five levels of sight words for children between kindergarten and third grade are supported by this $0.99 app, which is built around the Dolch Sight Words List. The graphics are simple, but brightly-colored, and are attractive to little ones and adults alike.
10. Sight Words by Little Speller – Fully customizable and free in the App Store, Sight Words by Little Speller is a great investment for parents with children who are learning to read. Directed at children from infancy to six years of age, Sight Words can help your toddler get a jump start on early reading or work with preschoolers and kindergarteners to help them excel in their classroom work.

These apps are certainly effective methods of keeping kids engaged, and many can be used by children on their own for solo enrichment while you’re on the go. Still, there’s no substitute for the assistance and attention of a parent or beloved caregiver, making it important for you to set aside some time each day to help your child master his sight words.