I've sometimes felt like I was attempting to capture fireflies when I've tried to teach very active children to read.

I've personally gone to great lengths to stay in pace with an active child—sometimes following a child right down to the floor, clutching my sight word cards and determined to find a way to make learning happen.

Simply imploring a child to “pay attention” often doesn't accomplish much. Neither does repeatedly saying, “Please stay in your seat.”

Over the years, I've learned a few tricks for teaching those little fireflies.

The key is not necessarily getting an active child to become less active before learning can begin.

Sometimes the better approach is to make purposeful activity part of the learning.

Engage Their Hands

Don't assume a child has to sit perfectly still and simply listen in order to learn.

Instead, put something in the child's hands that relates directly to what you're teaching.

For sight word practice, a child might:

• match a plain sight word with the same word on a SnapWords® card
• arrange word cards to make a short phrase or sentence
• build a word with letter tiles
• write a word on a personal whiteboard
• sort words by spelling pattern
• point to or pick up a word you name
• give themselves a check mark when they instantly and accurately recognize a word

The important distinction is that the hands-on activity should support the literacy task itself.

We're not adding movement simply for the sake of movement. We're giving the child something purposeful to do with the word.

Use Meaningful Visuals

Some children respond especially well when new information has something meaningful to capture their attention.

This is one reason SnapWords® can be helpful.

Rather than presenting only an unfamiliar word in plain print, SnapWords® initially embeds a meaningful image into the word. The image, Mini-Lesson, and body motion provide memory connections while the word is being learned.

But the image isn't the end goal.

Once the child becomes familiar with the word, turn the card over to its plain-word side. Eventually, remove the card entirely and have the child recognize the word in ordinary print.

The progression is:

meaningful visual support → plain printed word → word in sentences and books

This gives the child additional support at the beginning while still working toward independent word recognition.

Offer Choices

For an active child—especially one who has already experienced frustration with reading—a little ownership can make a significant difference.

Instead of announcing:

“We're going to work on your sight words now.”

Spread several words out and ask:

“Which of these words do you want to work with first?”

You might also offer a choice between two activities:

“Do you want to do a word hunt or use the whiteboard?”

Or let the child choose which three words to practice first.

You're still determining the instructional goal and making sure the necessary learning happens. The child simply has some ownership over how to begin.

Keep Practice Short and Focused

An effective sight word lesson doesn't have to be long.

A few focused minutes in which a child is actively retrieving, reading, spelling, or using words can be more productive than stretching practice until the child—and the adult—is frustrated.

Work with a manageable number of words.

Then stop.

You can return to them later in the day or during another activity.

Short practice also makes it easier to incorporate sight words naturally into classroom and home routines.

Get the Child Moving

Movement can become part of sight word practice without distracting from the reading goal.

Place plain-print word cards around the room and ask the child to find the word you name.

Put words on the floor and have the child move to the correct one.

Create a word hunt.

Place words at different stations and have the child read one before moving to the next.

Build a sentence on the floor and have the child physically rearrange the words into the correct order.

The child gets to move, but every movement requires interaction with print.

That's the difference between movement during a lesson and movement that is part of the lesson.

Let Children Hear Themselves Read

This activity uses a Toobaloo® or similar voice-amplification tool.

A tool like this can make reading practice novel and can help a child hear their own voice more directly while reading words aloud.

It isn't necessary for learning sight words, however.

Children can also simply read words aloud, whisper-read them, read them to a partner, or alternate reading words with you.

The important part is that the novelty of a tool should never become more important than the reading practice itself.

Try This Active Sight Word Activity

Here's an updated version of one of my favorite activities for very active children.

What You Need

You'll need:

• a small group of sight words
• SnapWords® cards if you're using them
• enough room to spread the cards on a table or floor
• an optional voice-amplification tool such as a Toobaloo®

Step 1: Choose the Words

Select a manageable group of words the child needs to learn.

Let the child choose a few words from that group to begin with.

Set the others aside.

Step 2: Introduce the Words

Spread the chosen words on a low table or the floor.

Point to each word and tell the child what it says.

Don't ask the child to guess an unfamiliar word.

Say the word together and briefly draw attention to its sounds and spellings.

If you're using SnapWords®, introduce the meaningful image, Mini-Lesson, and body motion as appropriate.

Step 3: Let the Child Take Over

Ask the child to choose a word, pick it up, and read it.

If the child recognizes it correctly, turn the card over.

Continue until all of the cards have been turned over.

This gives the child an immediate visual sense of progress.

Step 4: Try the Plain Words

Now work with the plain-print side.

Ask the child:

“Which one of these words are you sure you know?”

Let the child choose.

If the word is read accurately and automatically, move it into a “words I know” group.

Continue with the others.

Don't worry if some words aren't ready yet. Those are simply the words you'll practice again.

Step 5: Use the Words Somewhere Else

Before finishing, use several of the words in another context.

The child might:

• build a short sentence
• write one on a whiteboard
• find the word in a book
• spell the word
• act out a sentence containing the word
• match it with another plain-print version

This is important because recognizing a word during one familiar game doesn't necessarily mean the child will recognize it while reading.

Gradually Remove the Supports

Whether you're using pictures, motions, games, or other supports, don't make the child dependent on them.

Once recognition is developing, gradually reduce the help.

With SnapWords®, that means moving from:

illustrated SnapWord® → plain-word side → no card

Then look for the child to recognize the word in phrases, sentences, books, and writing.

The goal isn't for a child to become excellent at a sight word game.

The goal is for the child to become a reader.

When an Active Child Still Struggles With Sight Words

If the child enjoys the activities but still isn't retaining the words, don't simply make the games longer.

Look at what is happening.

Can the child connect the sounds in the word with its letters?

Does a particular spelling cause difficulty?

Can the child read the word with a SnapWords® image but not in plain print?

Can the child recognize the word on a card but not in a book?

Can the child read it immediately after practice but not the following day?

Those observations can tell you much more than simply concluding that the child “can't remember sight words.”

Read more: How to Effectively Teach Sight Words to Struggling Readers

Work With the Child, Not Against the Child

Very active children don't necessarily need a longer lecture about paying attention.

Sometimes they need us to reconsider what attention during learning can look like.

Give their hands something meaningful to do.

Let them move with a purpose.

Offer appropriate choices.

Keep practice focused.

And most importantly, watch the child.

If following a little firefly down to the floor with your sight word cards is what it takes to discover how that child learns best, go to the floor.

That's where the teaching happens.