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Sight words practice, on the words your child brought home

Sight words this week: could, would, should, theirRead your word ring every night

Kindergarten and 1st grade often send home a few sight words each week. Take a photo of them and Kamelo turns those exact words into a few minutes of practice: see the word for a moment, then write it from memory.

Kindergarten to Grade 3

From the photo to the practice

  1. Take a photo of the words

    The planner line, the list from the homework folder or a screenshot from the school app, handwritten or printed.

  2. Check the list

    About thirty seconds later, you see the words Kamelo read. Fix or remove any word with a tap, then confirm.

  3. Hand over the phone

    The words go into today’s homework, and your child practices them with Kamelo in short rounds.

During the session

See it, then write it
The word shows for a moment, then hides. Your child writes it from memory, then sees it again to compare.
An “almost” comes back
A missed word is simply an “almost.” It comes back a few turns later, and the trickiest words get priority next time.
Colors to collect
Each word read right the first time earns a color for Kamelo’s collection, and finishing today’s homework earns ten more.

How to teach sight words at home

  • Three to five words at a time

    That’s plenty for one night. A U.S. Department of Education reading guide describes putting three to five words on cards on a ring, and adding new ones only once the first ones are solid.

  • Sound it out the first time

    Many sight words can be decoded, like “and,” “it” and “with.” Let your child sound the word out first, then read it again and again until it comes at a glance.

  • Point to the tricky part

    In “said,” the “ai” doesn’t sound the way it usually does. Pointing it out leaves your child one small thing to remember instead of a whole word.

  • Read it in a sentence

    Once your child knows a word on its own, find it in a picture book, or write a short sentence together that uses it.

  • Short and often

    Five or ten minutes a day works better than a long session on the weekend. Our guide to teaching sight words at home walks through a full routine.

Questions parents ask

What are sight words?
Sight words are common words a child learns to read instantly, without sounding them out every time: “the,” “said,” “was,” “could.” Some follow regular spelling patterns and some don’t. Because they turn up in almost every sentence, reading them at a glance speeds up everything else your child reads.
What’s the difference between Dolch and Fry sight words?
Both are lists of common English words. Edward Dolch published his in 1936: 220 “service words” grouped from pre-primer to 3rd grade, plus 95 nouns. Edward Fry’s Instant Words came later and run to 1,000 words ranked by how often they appear. Schools use one, the other, or a list from their reading program.
My child’s teacher uses Dolch or Fry words. Can I still use Kamelo?
Yes. Kamelo works from the words your child actually brought home, whichever list they come from. Photograph the week’s words, check them, and they become tonight’s practice. If the teacher sends a long list for the whole term, keep only this week’s words when you confirm.
How many sight words should a kindergartner know?
There’s no national number. The Common Core, which many states adopted or adapted, expects kindergartners to recognize common high-frequency words by sight, and each school decides which words and how many. Your child’s teacher is the best person to ask what’s expected by the end of the year.
Should kids memorize sight words or sound them out?
Both, in that order. A reading guide from the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm recommends having children use their letter-sound skills to read a high-frequency word the first time, then practice it often until they recognize it quickly. For irregular words, point out the part that breaks the usual rules.

Official sources

Tonight’s homework, without the fight.

Planned for the US in January 2027. France comes first, from October 2026.

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