Dolch Pre-Primer Sight Word List with Free Printable Flashcards
If you’re just starting your child’s sight word journey, the Dolch Pre-Primer Sight Word List is the very best place to begin. Created by Dr. Edward William Dolch in 1948, these 40 words are considered essential for preschool and kindergarten learners. They appear often in children’s books, classroom texts, and everyday reading.
In this post, you’ll find the complete Dolch Pre-Primer word list, teaching tips, and a link to our free printable Dolch Pre-Primer flashcards to make learning fun and effective.
What Are Pre-Primer Sight Words?
The Dolch Sight Word Lists are divided into levels: Pre-Primer, Primer, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade.
The Pre-Primer list is the very first set, designed for preschool and early kindergarten. These words don’t always follow phonics rules, which is why memorization and recognition are key. By mastering them, children gain confidence in reading simple books and sentences.
Why Learn Dolch Pre-Primer Words?
- Builds early reading fluency → Kids can instantly recognize common words like a, and, see, to.
- Boosts comprehension → Less time sounding out words = more time understanding the story.
- Supports writing → Children start using sight words in their own sentences.
Teaching Tips for Pre-Primer Words
Here are a few simple activities to make learning engaging:
- Flash and Read → Show a flashcard, have your child read the word aloud.
- Word Hunt → Pick a book and see how many Pre-Primer words they can find.
- Sentence Builder → Use a few flashcards to create short sentences.
- Example: I see a cat.
- Rainbow Writing → Let kids trace the word using different colored crayons.
- Memory Match → Print two sets of cards and play a matching game.
Free Printable Dolch Pre-Primer Flashcards
To help you get started, we’ve created a full set of Dolch Pre-Primer flashcards. They are:
- Clean and simple for young learners
- Large, bold font for easy reading
- Printable at home or school
👉 Download Free Dolch Pre-Primer Flashcards Here
Dolch Pre-Primer Word List (40 words)
a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, find, for, funny, go, help, here, I, in, is, it, jump, little, look, make, me, my, not, one, play, red, run, said, see, the, three, to, two, up, we, where, yellow, you
The Dolch Pre-Primer Sight Words are the stepping stone to a child’s reading success. With daily practice using flashcards and simple activities, children quickly move from recognizing words to reading short books independently.
