Preschool Sight Words List: The First 40 Words (Dolch Pre-Primer)

What you'll need

• 40 index cards or small slips of paper
• A marker, plus sticky tape or magnets for the fridge display
• An envelope, box, or jar for finished words (a "word treasure chest")

How to do it

1. 1

   Meet the sight words. Sight words are the small, super-common words in almost every sentence — the, and, is, you. Many can't be sounded out ("said" doesn't sound like it looks), so children learn them by sight: repeated seeing makes them automatic, like recognizing a friend's face. The 40 words below are the Dolch pre-primer list, the well-known set found most often in books for ages 3–5.

   
2. 2

   Start with Chunk 1, the super-easy starters. The simplest words are I, a, me, my, we, you, the, to, is, in — one to three letters, heard a dozen times a day. Usage tip: use 2–3 per session, pointing as you say each word while your child echoes. Tape known words to the fridge. Move on when these 10 feel effortless — about 2–3 weeks.

   
3. 3

   Move on to Chunk 2, action and everyday words. The next ten are go, see, look, play, run, jump, and, can, up, it — words children can act out, which makes them stick. Usage tip: pair each word with a movement — read "jump" and jump, read "run" and run in place. Add 2–3 a week alongside Chunk 1 review cards.

   
4. 4

   Try Chunk 3, colors, sizes, and numbers. The third ten are big, little, red, blue, yellow, one, two, three, down, away — describing words your child already says, now linked from the spoken word to the written one. Usage tip: hunt in real life: read "red," race to find something red; read "big" and "little" comparing two teddy bears. This chunk usually goes fastest, often under a week.

   
5. 5

   Save Chunk 4, the trickier ones, for last. The final ten are come, find, for, funny, help, here, make, not, said, where. These need more repetition — they're less predictable, "said" and "where" especially. Usage tip: slow down, stay playful, one new word at a time, leaning on the treasure-hunt and silly-sentence games in the playful-games step below. No deadline: finishing at 4 or 5 is on track.

   
6. 6

   Add two or three new words a week. Add a word only when the ones in play are read instantly and happily — never while old ones are shaky. Keep every session mostly review (about 4 of every 5 cards). If your child groans at the cards, you've gone too fast: switch to review-only for a few days.

   
7. 7

   Follow the five-minute daily routine. Keep it tiny — five cheerful minutes a day beats an hour a week: flip 5 review cards while your child shouts the words; introduce 1–2 words, tracing them in the air; play one 2-minute game from the playful-games step; tape any newly "won" word to the fridge. End while it's still fun.

   
8. 8

   Make it playful with three games. Word treasure hunt — hide 5 cards; your child reads each to "unlock" the next spot; silly sentences — arrange cards into funny lines ("I see the funny blue jump") and read them dramatically; card toss — scatter cards, toss a beanbag, and read the nearest word. The reading must live inside the playing.

   
9. 9

   Move on when the words are automatic. Move on when your child reads all 10 words quickly and correctly on three separate days — the signal they're automatic. When all 40 are known, pick simple readers and let your child be "boss" of the sight words, reading those aloud while you handle the rest. That's real sentence reading.

   
10. 10

    Avoid the traps that turn play into pressure. Don't drill, quiz under pressure, or correct sharply — a gentle "let's look again" protects confidence. Never compare progress to another child. Don't introduce all 40 at once, and don't worry when a word fades — forgetting is part of learning. The moment word time feels like homework, the magic is gone.

    

Other ways to play it

• Fridge gallery: known words live on the fridge; count each week how many have been "won."
• Word jar: each mastered word goes into a jar; a full jar earns a special outing.
• Morning greeting: slip one review card into breakfast.
• Bath-time words: bath crayons on the tub wall for zero-prep review.

How it changes by age

• Ages 3–4: 2–3 new words weekly, 3–5 minute sessions, lots of play. Most 3-year-olds take months to work through all 40 — normal.
• Ages 4–5: 10-minute sessions; many finish in 2–3 months. Follow the child, not the calendar.

What they're learning

Instant recognition of 40 high-frequency written words (the Dolch pre-primer set) That written words carry meaning — the foundation of reading Print awareness: reading left to right, telling words apart from letters Listening–speaking links as they hear and say each word while seeing it Confidence as "real readers," which fuels all later reading growth

Questions parents ask