Printable Sight Words List and Flashcards for Grades PreK-3rd
Sight words are widely used as a tool to help kids when they are learning to read and write. They are sometimes referred to as “high-frequency words” because the list is comprised of the most common words that kids will encounter in each stage of reading. Learning sight words allows children to recognize words at a glance without needing to stop and sound out each individual word, letter by letter. By memorizing these common words by sight children will be able to read easier and faster. The best way to learn sight words and increase a child’s familiarity with them is through repetition. There are many ways you can achieve this but the most common ways are by using flashcards and word-focused games.
What Sight Words List I Use
There are several lists of sight words that are commonly used – Dolch, Fry, Top 150, and Core Curriculum. I started using the Dolch words for my oldest because it’s what our school used but I continued to use it when I learned it’s the most popular and widely used list. The Dolch list of words accounts for between 50-75% of all vocabulary found in grade school reading material. If you’ve ever read a Dr. Seuss book, then you’ve probably seen most of the words on this list. In fact, all of the words in Cat in the Hat are from the Dolch words list.
When to Start Teaching Sight Words
Before a child can start learning sight words, It’s important that they are able to recognize and name all the lower-case letters of the alphabet. When shown a letter, the child should be able to name it quickly and confidently. If a child’s recognition of the letter names is still shaky, you should first work on practicing this before jumping into sight words.
How to Teach Sight Words
There are several ways to start introducing sight words into a child’s lessons. I have had success with all 3 of my kids by using sight word flashcards. Start by introducing no more than 3 new words using “See & Say.” Hold up one flashcard at a time and read the word several times while moving your finger under the word from beginning to end, then ask your child to do the same. You can keep the flashcards that you are working on pinned to a pegboard on the wall, or on the fridge and throughout the day ask your child to read the card(s).
After they are able to easily recognize and read the word, you can then use the flashcard for “Spell Reading.” Ask your child to read the word, then say each letter of the word in order. Have them repeat this 2-3 times. Once they are able to read and spell a word, you can move on to another. But don’t forget to review the words that they have mastered! You can keep a stack of the mastered words and each morning review them before you move to the work-in-progress words.
I have put together a list of the Dolch sight words for grades Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade: Dolch Sight Word Lists
I also made flashcard sheets for you to use. There are 4 words to a page and some of the longer lists have a few pages to print out so I divided up the cards into grade: Pre-K // Kindergarten // 1st grade // 2nd grade // 3rd grade
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