Words 1st graders should know

First Grade Sight Words List

Sight words are words that appear frequently in most of the text kids read, but can't easily be sounded out. Learning to recognize sight words through—you guessed it—sight is the easiest and quickest way for early readers to progress and become confident.

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These two tables list common sight words and cover not only words that first graders should recognize on sight by the end of the year, Table 2 includes words that they should be able to read, write and spell. So get crackin'!

Use these lists of common words to help children improve reading skills quickly by using the words in games. A sight words memory game is easy to make with paper and markers, or, make a hopping good time out of it with a physical word game that's good for outside and can be adapted to indoors.

Need more sight words practice? Download our sight words flashcards to help your child master over 100 new words.  

Learning sight words doesn't have to be all rote memorization. Our free online sight words games help make mastering new words fun, with silly interactive games full of themes and gameplay every kind of kid will love.

Check out our first grade resources page for more games, lesson plans, and worksheets that focus on literacy and word practice.

Next Article: Sight Words

250+ Sight Words for First Graders That Kids Can Easily Learn

In Grade 1, children’s language skills develop rapidly. They learn to use more words and start putting them together to form simple sentences. As their vocabularies grow, they encounter more sight words. They are called ‘sight words’ because children should recognize and understand them as soon as they see them – without having to decode or use sounds to identify them. But what are they and which are the sight words for first graders?

What are Sight Words?

Sight Words for first graders are the most common words that children come across. They are usually short words, such as the, and, of, to, you, and I. These are high-frequency words that appear in any English text very often. Knowing these words helps children to improve their reading fluency and comprehension skills. It also hones their vocabulary development.

By the end of the first grade, children should know around 200 sight words – with spellings. The kids will often come across these words in the texts they read or speeches they hear. Creatively incorporating these sight words in different activities can help kids become better readers and writers. 

SplashLearn inspires lifelong curiosity with its game-based PreK-5 learning program loved by over 40 million children. With over 4,000 fun games and activities, it’s the perfect balance of learning and play for your little one.

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250 Most Common Sight Words for First Graders

Dr. Edward William Dolch, an educator, studied children’s books of his time and came up with 220 ‘service words’ that occurred most frequently in those books. He developed the list in the 1930s-40s and suggested the following sight words for 1^st graders:

Dr. Edward Fry prepared his list of 1,000 most common words in the 1950s, which was updated in 1980. The list of 100 sight words for first grade students by Fry covers almost 90% of the words 6-7 year-olds will come across in stories, poems, and informational texts:

1. a	26. from	51. more	76. there
2. about	27. get	52. my	77. these
3. all	28. go	53. no	78. they
4. am	29. had	54. not	79. this
5. an	30. has	55. now	80. time
6. and	31. have	56. number	81. to
7. are	32. he	57. of	82. two
8. as	33. her	58. on	83. up
9. at	34. him	59. one	84. use
10. be	35. his	60. or	85. was
11. been	36. how	61. other	86. water
12. but	37. I	62. out	87. way
13. by	38. if	63. part	88. we
14. called	39. in	64. people	89. were
15. can	40. into	65. said	90. what
16. come	41. is	66. see	91. when
17. could	42. it	67. she	92. which
18. day	43. its	68. so	93. who
19. did	44. like	69. some	94. will
20. do	45. long	70. than	95. with
21. down	46. look	71. that	96. words
22. each	47. made	72. the	97. would
23. find	48. make	73. their	98. write
24. first	49. many	74. them	99. you
25. for	50. may	75. then	100. your

As you’ll notice, almost 18 words are common between these Dolch and Fry lists of sight words for first-grade students. Between them, we have a list of 123 first grade sight words.

SplashLearn experts also recommend a list of 130 more sight words first graders can quickly learn:

1. before	26. animal	51. frog	76. stomach
2. funny	27. dog	52. crab	77. thigh
3. hers	28. cat	53. fox	78. knee
4. high	29. cow	54. camel	79. leg
5. jump	30. sheep	55. lion	80. feet
6. keep	31. rabbit	56. elephant	81. eat
7. learn	32. duck	57. girl	82. run
8. much	33. hen	58. boy	83. drink
9. only	34. horse	59. toy	84. walk
10. thing	35. pig	60. ball	85. chop
11. want	36. turkey	61. doll	86. sing
12. yours	37. chicken	62. ears	87. act
13. color	38. donkey	63. eyes	88. kick
14. yellow	39. goat	64. head	89. mix
15. orange	40. mouse	65. nose	90. sit
16. pink	41. deer	66. mouth
17. green	42. moose	67. teeth
18. blue	43. koala	68. neck
19. red	44. wolf	69. shoulder
20. black	45. bear	70. arm
21. white	46. snake	71. elbow
22. silver	47. bird	72. hand
23. gold	48. fish	73. fingers
24. brown	49. bat	74. thumb
25. purple	50. tiger	75. chest

Sight words for first graders to help with their math vocabulary include the following:

1. zero	11. nine	21. match	31. before
2. digit	12. ten	22. size	32. less
3. one	13. number	23. compare	33. plus
4. two	14. input	24. less than	34. minus
5. three	15. output	25. opposite	35. add
6. four	16. similar	26. more than	36. subtract
7. five	17. object	27. near	37. ones
8. six	18. sort	28. half	38. tens
9. seven	19. different	29. after	39. place value
10. eight	20. alike	30. equal	40. rule

Fun and Effective Ways to Help Grade 1 Students Learn Sight Words

Whether you are a parent or a teacher, you can use plenty of fun and effective ways to help first graders learn sight words. Below are some creative ideas:

Sight Word Games for First Graders to Play at Home or in Class

1. Hide and Seek (Find the Sight Words) Game:

• A list of 1st grade sight words
• A stopwatch

This is a great game to get the kids up and moving while they learn their sight words. It’s also a good way to get them to recognize sight words in different contexts.

1. Print out the list of sight words on individual slips of paper.
2. Stick them up around the room at different heights, ensuring they are within reach of the kids.
3. When you say “go,” the kids have to find as many sight words as they can and bring them to you in the allotted time.
4. The kid with the most sight words at the end of the game wins!

2.

• A list of sight words for first graders
• A whiteboard or blackboard

This is a great way to help kids learn to recognize sight words in context.

1. Choose a sight word from the list.
2. Write it on the board.
3. Ask the kids to come up with a sentence that uses the word.
4. Write it down on the board.
5. Repeat with another sight word.

3. Make a Sight Word Book:

• A first grade sights word list
• Construction paper or cardstock
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencils or crayons

This is a great way to help kids learn to recognize sight words in context.

1. Choose a sight word from the first grade sight words list.
2. Write it on a piece of construction paper or cardstock.
3. Ask the kids to come up with a sentence that uses the word.
4. Write it down under the sight word.
5. Ask the kids to illustrate their sentences.
6. Repeat with another sight word.

7. Once all the sight words have been used, cut out each page and staple them together to make a book.

8. Encourage the kids to read their books aloud in the class, to you, or somebody else.

4. Roll, Read, and Race Board Game:

• A list of sight words for Grade 1 students
• A dice
• A game board (you can make your own or use a commercially available one)
• Pawns or markers

This is a great way to help kids learn to recognize sight words in context. Reviewing math concepts such as numbers, addition, and subtraction is also fun.

1. Design the board game using a list of sight words.
2. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their pawns or markers around the board.
3. If they land on a space with a sight word, they have to read it aloud. If they get it right, they can stay in that space. If they get it wrong, they have to move back to the previous space.
4. For Math, use numbers on the dice and spaces on the board. Players must add or subtract the numbers they rolled and move their pawns or markers to the new space.
5. The first player to reach the “Finish” space is the winner!

5. Simple and Easy Crossword Game:

• A list of sight words for 1^st graders
• A whiteboard or blackboard
• A marker or chalk

This is a great way to help kids learn to recognize sight words in context.

1. Make a simple crossword puzzle using the list of sight words.
2. Call out a sight word and ask the kids to find it in the puzzle and read it aloud.
3. Repeat with another sight word.

6.

• A list of Grade 1 sight words
• Bingo cards (you can make your own or use a commercially available one)
• Markers or chips

This is a great way to help kids learn to recognize sight words in context.

1. Make a simple bingo card using the list of sight words.
2. Call out a sight word and ask the kids to find it on their bingo card and mark it with a marker or chip.
3. Repeat with another sight word until someone gets five in a row and calls out “Bingo!”.

7. Read Stories:

• A list of sight words you want to teach to first graders
• Stories that contain the sight words

This is a great way to help kids learn to recognize sight words in context.

1. Choose a story that contains several of the sight words on your list.
2. Read the story aloud to the kids.
3. Ask them to listen for the sight words and point them out as you read.
4. Repeat with another story.

8. Act It Out:

• A list of sight words 1^st grade students need to learn
• A whiteboard or blackboard
• A marker or chalk

This is a great way to help the first graders make connections between the words and their meanings.

1. Choose an action-oriented sight word from the list.
2. Call it out, and kids have to act it out. For example, if you say “jump”, the kids have to jump up and down.
3. This action-oriented game is fun, interactive, and helps the kids learn sight words in a meaningful way.
4. Repeat with another sight word.

Online Games to Promote Learning of Sight Words in First Grade

1. Sight Words Games for 1st Graders at SplashLearn

Let your child join millions of learners at SplashLearn to practice sight words, identify them by sounds, decode them instantly, and get tested on their knowledge of words. As they play exciting games, they pick up new words and their confidence in reading grows manifold.

The learning program is free for teachers, while parents have a 7-day free trial and can then subscribe. The subscription plans start at just $4.99 per month.

2. Bingo Card Creator at SightWords

You can create Bingo cards using the sight word for first graders using this web app for the game mentioned above. You can choose how many Bingo cards you want to create, their layout, the grade of your child, whether you want to create Dolch sight words or Fry sight words. 

Print out the Bingo cards displayed on the screen in PDF format. This site is free for everyone.

3. Sight Words Hopper at Education.com

Kindergarten and Grade 1 students love to help Cuz-Cuz jump over mud puddles. As the narrator reads the high-frequency words or sight words lying in puddles, kids have to jump over the right puddle.

You can try it for free, but to get unlimited access to all its fun and interactive games, you have to subscribe to it. The subscription starts at $5 per month.

4. Illustrated Story at Edoki Academy

Meant for gifted students, the children must read words, understand their meanings, and choose the correct pictures to illustrate the simple sentences they see. After all, this is how elementary school students can develop reading skills.

You can try it for free for one week and then subscribe. The subscription to Edoki Club starts at $3.50 per month.

5. Out of Sight Words at ABCya.com

This quirky game asks children to read a sight word and find a corresponding image. This game uses 220 words from the Dolch Word List and includes nouns, pronounces, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions.

You can use it for free but have to subscribe to it for an ad-free experience. The premium version also offers several other features, such as setting a timer for the games, controlling the access of games, etc. The subscription starts at $5.83 per month.

We hope you and your first graders enjoy these games and activities to learn new sight words. Learning sight words is an important step in a child’s reading development, and these activities will give them a head start!

Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. We would love to hear from you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we teach students sight words?

Sight words frequently occur in the text but are difficult to sound out using phonics rules. They must be learned by sight to become fluent readers.

What are some tips for teaching sight words at home?

There are many ways to incorporate sight words into your everyday routine at home. Read aloud to your child daily and point out sight words as you come across them. With time, you can ask them to read the sight word when you come across one.

You can also make a game out of it by hiding sight words around the house and having them search for them. Finally, you can create a sight word wall in your home where you post new words for your child to learn.

Can I skip sight words for my first grader if they are already good at reading?

Sight words should not be skipped, as they are important to a child’s reading development. If your child is already good at reading, you can challenge them by asking them to read longer texts incorporating more sight words. You can also ask them to use the words in their sentences.

What a future first grader should be able to do and how to prepare him for school

August 23, 2022

The older children get, the more often parents think about preparing for school. When to start it and how to do it so as not to spoil your beloved child's childhood and teach everything necessary for successful study? Together with Anna Davidovich, a specialist in the field of child neuropsychology and an expert of the LogicLike development platform, we understand the issues that concern almost all parents of future first-graders.

Is it possible to make school preparation an exciting activity that motivates, encourages and, most importantly, ensures the comprehensive intellectual development of the child? With LogicLike, developing courses and games will become his new hobby. The service is already included in the special children's subscription NETARIF Junior.

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When should I send my child to school - at six or seven years old?

It is not so much the age that is important, but the emotional and social readiness of the baby to change the usual way of life. He will have to find himself in completely new conditions, and this is a serious test for the psyche, stress. But the child adapts easier and faster if:

• independent;
• responsible;
• organized;
• assiduous;
• considerate;
• polite.

The child must be able to recognize the authority of adults, build a dialogue with the teacher and find contact with peers. Therefore, it is so important to attend a kindergarten, circles or development centers, because only in a team the communication skill is improved. But besides this, the child must be sufficiently developed intellectually.

If you see that your baby is socialized to the required extent and can do a lot, you can send him to school up to seven years. If it seems to you that he is not ready yet, it is better to wait so that the new conditions do not become too difficult a test for the child.

Anna Davidovich

Specialist in the field of child neuropsychology and expert of the LogicLike development platform

If we are dealing with a typical school curriculum, it is better to send a child to school at the age of seven. The fact that a child has already mastered writing, reading and counting does not mean that he is ready for schooling. In addition to these school skills, the so-called regulatory systems of the psyche are important, which reach maturity by the age of seven or eight. For example, the ability to collect a portfolio, "hear" the teacher, focus on the lesson, plan one's own activity in preparation for school, and, most importantly, be motivated to gain knowledge. It is worth considering the psycho-physiological maturity, for example, the ability of the hand to the load associated with writing.

What should a future first grader know and be able to do?

By the age of 6–7, the child should already:

• Remember his first and last name, birthday, age, know the names of mom and dad, their professions, address and other basic information. You also need to know several poems by heart, be able to memorize pictures and guess them.
• Count to at least ten, solve simple problems and riddles, recognize geometric shapes.
• Identify common features of objects and their differences, be able to work with scissors and a ruler, draw clear lines and paint without going beyond the outline.
• Be able to distinguish letters from sounds, vowels from consonants, find them in different parts of a word, select words for any letter and divide them into syllables.
• Read short sentences and understand their meaning, memorize and retell short stories, and independently compose stories from pictures and express opinions on a given topic.
• Possess a coherent, phonetically and grammatically correct speech, select and pronounce words, highlight sounds, correctly build sentences, clearly and clearly express your thoughts.

Should a preschool child be able to read, write and count?

Theoretically, no, because elementary school was created specifically to teach children these basic skills. But actually, yes. Previously, it was really possible to send a child to the first grade with a zero level of knowledge. However, modern realities dictate other rules.

Today, many parents begin to develop their babies in all directions almost from the cradle. As a result, some children in the first grade already write, count and read fluently, sometimes even in English. Without a certain knowledge base, your child may feel uncomfortable around them.

The pace of learning has also accelerated greatly in recent years. It will be difficult for an unprepared first-grader to keep up with him.

How is school readiness assessed?

On the one hand, there are no official requirements and a list of questions for admission to the school. According to the law, state educational institutions are prohibited from accepting children on a competitive basis. All applicants must be enrolled.

But on the other hand, the readiness of children is still checked at an interview in the graduation group of a kindergarten or directly upon admission to school. The results of such secret testing are important if you are going to send your child to a gymnasium / lyceum or to any educational institution outside the place of residence, especially if places are limited.

The interview also influences which grade the child will be assigned to. Usually they are divided according to the level of development of children into strong and weak. In the first, the requirements are higher, but the children are also more motivated. Academic success depends on this, and for many parents it is important that the child finds himself in a strong environment. The law is not written for private schools at all: they may have their own, rather high requirements for the skills of incoming children. If you want to send your child to an “advanced” educational institution, you need to prepare very seriously.

Anna Davidovich

Pediatric neuropsychologist and LoengicLike developmental platform expert

Start by reducing the value of all introductory activities for yourself, as an adult. The child "reads" all our signals, including our body language, he feels our tension and anxiety. If you simplify the value of what is happening for yourself, then it will not be so disturbing for the child. In no case should you say: “It is very important that you answer well”, “If you do not answer, you will not be taken to school”, “Everything now depends on you”, etc. Such formulations can cause severe anxiety, up to panic, when the child cannot “squeeze out” anything at all.

Here are some more recommendations:

• Be sure to “play” the interview situation with your child, in a light, relaxed, comic way.
• Let the child be sure to be the one who is interviewing. Make it clear that it's okay to make a mistake.
• Also make mistakes yourself while acting out scenes, demonstrate a positive behavioral strategy when the child points out a mistake to you: “Thank you, now I will remember it for sure. ”
• Run with your child on suggested questions while walking or playing together, in between times.
• Don't memorize the answers, just periodically return to the questions that are difficult.
• These simple tips will help your child remember information better and reproduce it when needed.

Regardless of the result of the interview, praise the child, encourage him to play, go to the park, take a walk together. The message is: “You are so good for going there! Super! Let's have some fun together now."

How to improve a child's knowledge before school?

Most parents do not have enough time and opportunities to deal with their daughter or son in person. Or children do not perceive mom / dad as a teacher, fool around, do not listen. The most common way out in this case is additional classes to prepare for school. As a rule, courses are paid, they last up to six months and include different disciplines. This is convenient if the budget allows and the child needs comprehensive development. If you want all the attention of the teacher to be paid only to your baby, choose individual lessons with the teacher, however, this pleasure will be more expensive than collective learning.

Another option is online classes with the help of educational services. For example, there are programs with which a child will learn to solve non-standard logical problems, train memory and ingenuity. Even if parents themselves have to sit next to their child, the learning process will be much more fun and easier. And certainly without irritation and tears. You can start such preparation in advance or quickly improve your knowledge before the first of September.

Related material

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What is the best way to reinforce acquired skills?

Everything a child learns should be backed up with practice. And not in some specially created, artificial conditions, but in everyday actions, in everyday life. Counting - while going to the store, memory - while cleaning, charging or mastering new walking routes, speech - during conversations, games and reading books. In other words, bring them to life. Observe if the child is able to compare, generalize, build cause-and-effect relationships not only in a smartphone or computer, but also in actions with real objects and situations.

And for first-graders and other younger students, we recommend the NETARIF Junior subscription. This is a complete solution that will provide a children's smartphone with communication, a LogicLike educational service, entertainment and an annual subscription to school textbooks for any class of their choice.

Connect NETARIF Junior.

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How many words per minute a first grader should read

Children come to the first grade with very different skill levels. Someone already fluently reads whole stories, the other can barely read a line by syllables. Many parents diligently teach their children to read before school. And it is no accident: despite the fact that there are no official requirements for reading standards for a child entering school, testing a child for reading speed in the first grade will begin at the end of the first half of the year. According to the indicative norms of the Federal State Educational Standard, a first-grader should read 25-30 words per minute in the first half of the year and 30-40 in the second. Note that the norms are indicative, so gymnasiums, for example, can raise the bar higher, and correctional schools, on the contrary, lower it a little. Here are some tips on how to make learning to read effective and comfortable for you and your child.

Don't chase reading speed

That's right. After all, if you train a child precisely on the speed of pronunciation of words, then he will be able to learn how to quickly read the text, but he will not understand what he read. Don't do your child a disservice. School performance is, of course, important, but not only the praise of the teacher is at stake, but also the development of the child. Therefore, when teaching a child to read, pay attention to the semantic content of the text, discuss with him the characters, their words and deeds, together recall the events of previously read books. Speed ​​will be gained gradually, thanks to constant practice and several useful exercises.

Choose the right literature

It is better to start learning to read with books "by age", well illustrated, with large letters and not too long words - consisting of two or three syllables. In addition, it is important that all the words in the book are familiar to the child.

Don't overdo it

Don't start learning to read too early, experts advise against doing this before the age of 5, because the child's body during this period absorbs all the impressions of the surrounding world, but is not yet ready to perceive the text. But he will be happy to listen to your reading and from an early age he will perceive a book in his hands as something obviously fascinating. Do not force a child to read, do not turn the joy of reading into a duty. Try not to intimidate him with upcoming checks, otherwise interest will instantly turn into a routine. Learning to read for a child is a lot of work. If the child is tired, there is nothing wrong with you reading aloud to him.

Learn by playing

You can collect words from cubes with spellings written on them. You can guess cards with inscriptions and drawings. Or read stories in which some words are replaced by pictures. In any case, the process of reading at first should include something else besides reading itself. A game element that will support the interest of the child and will not let him run out of steam at the very beginning of learning.

Game exercises for developing reading speed

If your child has already learned to read whole words and combine them into sentences, it's time to think about developing reading speed.

Play animals with him: try to imagine and show how a horse gallops, how a horse speaks and how a horse reads? How does a turtle work? And the tiger?

Try to read by roles on behalf of different characters in the story.

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