1st grade
Word Stairs
Build six 1st grade sight words one letter per step, from o to open and w to white.
Sight word worksheet · Word stairs
Word Stairs
Walk down the stairs one letter at a time: s, sa, saw. Six sight words built step by step, so kids notice every letter.
- Grade level
- Kindergarten
- Time
- About 15 minutes
- Topic
- Word stairs
- Answer key
- Not needed: answers vary
- Kids practice
- Sight word recognition, Reading fluency, Spelling high-frequency words, Letter formation
What kids do
“Write the first letter on the top step. Add one more letter on each step down. The bottom step is the whole word!”
Teacher tip
Say each step out loud: s, sa, saw. Kids hear the word build.
How to use it
- Send a copy home so families can play too.
- Read every word on the sheet out loud together before kids start.
- Use it in a literacy center with a partner who checks the reading.
Watch for
Kids who read the words in order from memory. Point to words out of order to check.
Talk about it
- Can you find one of these words in a book from the class library?
- Which words look alike? How do you tell them apart?
Take it further
Play a quick round of “flash and read” with the words at the end of the day.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More word stairs worksheets
Free for teachers
Get the free Classroom Drawing Kit
12 printable pages: six step-by-step lessons, a grid activity, draw-and-write sheets and teacher notes, sent with your welcome email. After that, new classroom printables by email.