In this section you find just under fifty words that we feel are essential for preschoolers. Word walls help support any form of literacy program you may be exploring with your students. These are some of the most common terms that children at this age will experience in written materials for them. These new vocabulary terms will help them take in information through reading and express themselves orally or in written language. While these all are not sight words, we have seen in increased usage of theis form of vocabulary due to modern technological advances. We must remember that the last major review of sight was done in the early 1980s which was time before the dawn the Internet and the concept of social media and blogging did not even exist. This is usually the complete list to really just get our Pre-readers understanding the concept of a word. After a few months of seeing these words, students often know them like the back of their hand. Previous research has seen that most students some in knowing the meaning (or use) of most of the Word Walls you will present here. Students often can not tell them by sight.
Preschool Word Wall Words
Scroll down to view and print the word walls that are designed for Preschool students.
Terms of Purpose
A color, a direction, and a position for these students: a, blue, and, can, away, come, big, and down.
Word Wall Letters D Through I
These preschool terms include: down, go, find, help, for, here, funny, and I.
In Through Me Word Wall
Lots of descriptors and a verb. The set includes: in, little, is, look, it, make, jump, and me.
Almost the Last Wall
The wall includes the vocabulary: the, up, three, we, to, where, two, and yellow.
You Wall
I often leave this word by itself to help build lesson off of. See what you think of that strategy.
Preschool Word Wall Words
We would encourage teachers to make these words highly visible for their preschool students in the classroom. We would also encourage you to use these terms with students daily. Maybe have a word of the day or have students use the word in their own sentence on a regular basis. Having students consistently experience this vocabulary will helping them leaps and bounds towards positive language arts skills. This is the first time students are seeing written words. We work towards understanding a full written phrase towards the end of Preschool.
Word walls are a crucial part of early preschool development. They are usually practiced in both preschool and kindergarten and usually depend on the age of the students. Regardless, word wall words are a wonderful way to teach young minds about written language.
What Are They?
By the time children make their way into preschool, they are starting to familiarize themselves with the alphabet and written word. Word walls are fun ways to help them into the stages of pre-reading.
Word wall words help showcase vocabulary in a classroom. These can include sight words, themes, and names.
What Makes They Important?
Word wall words allow a print-rich environment in classrooms, helping young children gain control over their vocabulary. When writing, kids can reference the vocabulary, giving them confidence and allowing them to solve problems all by themselves.
Moreover, these words are also a great help when reading, as children are able to make connections to the stories and books they have read in the past. Moreover, word wall words also help them learn the alphabetic principle. By the end of this exercise, children will be able to learn how to read and write and understand how they work.
Creating a Word Wall- The Basics
If you want to create a word wall, start by placing the letters of the alphabet on a classroom wall. All this vocabulary should be low enough for children to see properly. Make the letters big and colorful, and place a picture that can be easily recognized by children alongside the letters.
Allow the letters to stay on the walls throughout the year, but switch up the words underneath every few weeks. Here are some fun ideas for your word wall:
1. Name Game
At the beginning of the year, allow children to put their names and pictures under the correct letters on the wall. You can capture a digital picture and make picture name cards for each child in the class. Then, print the names in a large font that can easily be read.
If each letter of the name is in a different color, it will make it easier for kids to read. Once the name cards are ready, give them out to the children and bring them to the word wall. Demonstrate that the first letter of their name needs to be the same as the letter on the word wall and tell them that they will have to mount their name cards appropriately.
Once the children know what to do, help them find their letters and mount their name cards.
2. Meaningful Terms
After a couple of weeks, start adding words to the word wall. This will allow children to understand that letters form sounds, and they will start to pay more attention to this vocabulary. Preschoolers use certain words every day like dog, cat, brother, sister, dad, and mom.
Introduce these common words to them during study time each day and choose a volunteer to help you put the new cards under the letters on the wall. Point out the words often so that students can absorb and learn them.
3. Theme Words
As kids get the hang of the word wall words, you can start to expand their vocabulary slowly and familiarize them with other words, including:
- Number words such as one, two, three, etc.
- Colors such as yellow, blue, pink, etc.
- Vegetables and fruits: Banana, apple, grapes, etc.
- Animals: Lion, cat, dog, bird, etc.
Make sure that the word wall stays colorful and creative so that children do not lose interest. Moreover, pick random participants every week to help you mount the words on the wall and allow your kids to access and remove the words during playtime.