Looking for a super simple, low-prep way to get your kids moving and reading this summer? This Staircase Sight Word Activity is one of our favorite ways to sneak in literacy learning without making it feel like a worksheet. If you’ve got a staircase, a marker, and some paper, you’re already halfway there.
Perfect for preschoolers, kindergartners, and early readers, this playful reading game turns sight word practice into a physical challenge that’ll burn energy and boost word recognition at the same time.
Why You’ll Love This Summer Reading Activity
- It’s zero prep stress. No printing, no laminating, no fancy supplies.
- It gets kids moving. Ideal for those summer wiggles (and rainy days!).
- Totally customizable. Tailor the words to your child’s level and even switch them up daily.
- Hands-on learning = better memory. When kids move while learning, it helps them retain info longer.
Materials You’ll Need
- A set of stairs (indoor or outdoor works!)
- Paper or sticky notes
- Marker
- Painter’s tape
That’s it! No printer, no tech, no mess.
How to Set It Up
- Choose Your Words:
Start by picking a set of sight words that your child is currently working on. You can use Dolch sight word lists or just words from your child’s favorite books. Aim for 8–12 words to start. - Write Each Word on a Paper:
Use a thick marker to clearly write one sight word per sheet of paper or sticky note.
- Tape to the Steps:
Use painter’s tape to secure each word to a stair. Place them in order going up, or mix them around for an added challenge. - Invite Your Reader to the Game:
Ask your child to read the word before they step on it. They can go up one word at a time—reading aloud as they climb—or call out the word and jump up two at a time!
Fun Ways to Play
- Speed Round: Time them as they race up the stairs reading each word. Can they beat their time tomorrow?
- Find the Word: Call out a word and have them step only on that one.
- Silly Steps: For every word they read, ask them to do a funny action—clap, spin, hop.
- Word Hunt: Hide matching word cards around the house and let them find the pair to match each step.
- Sibling Edition: Great for two kids—one reads, one checks or switches the words!
Tips for Success
- Keep it fresh. Switch out the words every few days so it stays fun.
- Laminate or cover with tape if you want to reuse the same words outdoors or more than once.
- Pair it with a reward chart if your little one loves a challenge or sticker motivation.
- Mix in letters or numbers for younger siblings tagging along!
Extend the Learning
- Use themed word sets—color words, animal names, weather words.
- Have your child write the words themselves for a double learning moment.
- Turn it into a sentence-building game by writing one word per stair and letting them build silly phrases as they go.
This Staircase Sight Word Activity is proof that learning doesn’t have to mean sitting still. With a little tape and a few words, you can turn your stairs into a reading playground. Whether your kiddo is just starting to recognize letters or is ready to tackle whole sentences, this game grows with them—and gives you a few extra minutes of peace while they “play school.”
So grab your paper and your marker, and let’s make sight word practice something they actually look forward to!
Happy reading (and stair climbing)!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
