Teaching Tricky Words
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Tricky Words
• It must always be remembered that phonics is the step up
to word recognition. Automatic reading of all words –
decodable and tricky – is the ultimate goal.
• Children need to recognise that tricky words are the words
they cannot use their phonics/ sounding out to read
• When teaching tricky words, it is really important that
children can identify the tricky part of the word and say
what is tricky about it.
• Is it tricky because of the way it looks or the way it sounds
or both?
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Tricky Word Hoopla
Fill up a selection of bottles with
water, sand, rice etc
Label each of the bottles with a
different tricky word.
(These could be colour coded for
different phonic phases)
Using a quoit or a bean bag children
to try and read a word when
throwing the quoit or beanbag at it.
(Pinterest)
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
We’re going on a tricky word
hunt....
Just like the book “We’re going on a
Bear hunt”
Lay a piece of lining paper/
wallpaper on the ground. Write a
variety of tricky words on it. Colour
code these words based on different
phonic phases for differentation.
Say...
“We’re going on a word hunt, we’re
going to catch a big one, we’re not
scared.... Uh oh a tricky one....
Children to read the word they are
stood on at the time.
Found on amomwithalessonplan.com
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Tricky Word Twister
Using a twister board fill the colour
circles with different tricky words.
Children to be asked to put their...
Right arm on the word “the” and so
on.
(Pinterest)
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Shoot the tricky word
Make a tricky word target using
tarpaulin, a tuff tray or a wall. Attach
a range of different tricky words.
Children to use a spray bottle or
water gun to read a word and spray
it with water.
(Pinterest)
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Bug Splat Tricky Words
On a large piece of paper or shower
curtain write a range of tricky words
in the shape of different bugs.
Give children a bug splat and they
can splat the tricky words they can
read, or find the words to splat as
they are being called.
(Pinterest)
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Tricky Word Hopscotch
Make a hop scotch grid and label
each square with a tricky word.
Children to roll the dice and
hopscotch the certain number of
spaces and read the word they land
on.
(Pinterest
ccingitonedayatatime.blogspot.com)
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Sight Word Pop
Using bubble wrap or bubble bags,
write keywords on each bubble.
Children to read the words and pop
the words which they can read.
(Pinterest – mamaslikeme.com)
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Sight Word Noughts and Crosses
Using an egg container for 9 eggs
and counters with tricky words
written on them.
Children read a tricky word and use
that counter as they turn.
Found on commoncoreconnectionusa.blogspot.com
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Sight Word Parking Lot
Using a large piece of paper draw
lots of car parking spaces in a car
park.
Children to use the car to drive to
the words they can read or to drive
to the words which have been called.
(Pinterest – jugglingwithkids.com)
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
Sight Word Jenga
On the side of Jenga blocks write
some keywords.
Build the Jenga tower.
Children to play Jenga in the way
usually but to read the word as they
are going to take the piece of tower.
(kindergarteniscrazy.blogspot.com)
www.ltcl.co.uk Teaching Tricky Words
