‘A is for Apple, and B is for Ball.’
Certainly, two of the words that all children learn, before they learn others!
What makes it really simple for kids to learn the above words, though, is the fact that they have a ‘point of reference.’ All you have to do is show a child either of the two, Apple or Ball, that is, and they will happily chant their respective names.
It’s not quite the same, though, where it comes to seemingly ‘simple’ words like ‘of’ and ‘the’. While the words in themselves don’t seem complicated, what makes them hard to comprehend for those young minds, is the fact that they do not have a point of reference. Moreover, these are words that aren’t all that easy to ’sound out’ for little children. Also, they are pretty ‘abstract’ for young learners.
Are you looking at How to Teach High Frequency Words to your children? In this article, we aim to take a deep dive into High Frequency Words, and answer questions to the tune of ‘How many High Frequency Words are there?’
Let’s begin by answering the question that might come naturally to most readers of this article, namely, ‘What are High Frequency Sight Words?’
High Frequency Sight Words: Decoded
To put it in a nutshell, High Frequency Words are words that appear most often in the written English language.
It’s quite interesting to note, that while these words have little meaning on their own, they are of significant importance to the meaning of sentences on the whole. Now, some of these words are Phonetically Regular, which makes them easy to sound out. For example, the word ‘I.’
That being said, on the other hand, there are some that are not only Phonetically Irregular, but they also come with an ‘abstract’ meaning. This makes it especially difficult to explain them to children, and is the reason they are also called ‘tricky’ words. Another term used to describe these words is: ‘Sight words.’
Examples of High Frequency Sight Words: ‘Of’, ‘The’
100 High Frequency Words: More Examples
The following of a list of 100 High Frequency Words in the English Language.
the | on | out | this |
and | she | there | have |
a | is | what | went |
to | for | her | be |
said | at | my | so |
of | his | had | not |
they | but | up | then |
it | that | in | were |
was | will | can | go |
you | all | we | little |
one | them | no | as |
do | me | mum | down |
dad | big | when | it’s |
see | looked | very | don’t |
come | sold | into | back |
goes | get | just | from |
now | about | got | him |
came | oh | their | your |
each | made | saw | put |
are | I’m | make | could |
part | if | an | old |
which | help | asked | too |
how | grow | off | by |
has | called | here | day |
like | he | with | look |
How to Teach High Frequency Words
So, how many high frequency words are there? Believe it or not, but the typical adult is familiar with a whopping 30,000 to 60,000 words in the English language!
You can relax. Teaching high frequency words to kids is not a daunting task! Presenting ways in which we can get children to ‘Tune into the Frequency’ of those High Frequency Words, and get better acquainted with them.
Expose them to Sight Words, Early On
The more one is surrounded by something, the more familiar one gets with it, of course!
To do: Here’s some things you can do, to get your child to become more Sight Word-Savvy:
- Introduce them to the joy of Reading vis a vis books, from an early age. This includes pointing out Sight Words wherever you find them.
- Get them to take notice of sight words in various places. Like, on-road signs and on the back of cereal boxes.
- Incorporate sight words in your daily lingo. Ensure you use them frequently when you talk to your kids.
Play Jenga with Sight Words
Combining Sight Words with Play, makes for one of the most effective ways for children to learn them!
To Do: Use the following tips, for some cool Jenga Sight Word fun:
- Before playing, write a Sight Word on each block with the help of a permanent marker.
- When your child pulls out a block, they must read out the sight word on the block, before it’s your turn to play.
Start Small
Rome wasn’t built in a Day, they say!
To do: You want to take ‘baby’ steps when teaching your ‘babies’ those sight words. You can begin by teaching them a word or two, before you gravitate towards showing them more. Once they get the gist of these words, their capacity to learn them will increase by leaps and bounds.
Indulge their Senses
Want to get children to retain those sight words in their long-term memory? You might think of engaging more thoroughly with their Senses. Help them ‘Feel’ those ‘Sight’ words, so to speak!
To do: Think ‘Out of the Box.’ Have your child use Magnetic Letters and even Pipe Cleaners, to create those Sight Words.
Read out Loud to them
One of the best ways to reinforce Word Recognition, is through the process of Reading out Loud to your kids. You want to do the following, when reading out those Sight Words:
- When you come across a Sight Word, make sure you emphasize it.
- You want to ask questions about the story you are reading to them, that pertain to those sight words and elicit responses from your kids.
Get them to Write those Words!
Yet another cool way to reinforce the learning of Sight Words, this one. Writing is a great way to build that most valued ‘muscle memory’. You can get them to write those Sight Words in many ways, like the following:
- Writing in shaving cream
- Sand writing
- Writing on Worksheets
At EuroKids, teaching High Frequency Words to Kids constitutes a natural part of our curriculum. We believe that learning High Frequency Words is essential for children, as these words constitute the very building blocks for the most important practice of Reading.
