First grade sight words are critical in helping children become confident and fluent readers. By mastering these frequently used words, kids can focus on understanding the meaning of what they read rather than sounding out every word.
Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, or teacher, knowing how to introduce 1st grade sight words is the key to boosting early literacy skills. So, we’ve put together this article to help you better understand grade 1 sight words and how to teach them at home.
Below, our literacy experts will discuss what first grade sight words are and provide a complete list of the terms your child should know by the end of grade one. We’ll also share some tips and tricks for teaching sight words at home, including games and activities that will make learning these words fun!
Ready to explore first grade sight words and set your child up for reading success? Let’s dive in!
Do you have a child in preschool or kindergarten? We have sight word guides for them, too!
Content Quick Links:
What are first grade sight words?
How many sight words should a first grader know?
Dolch Sight Words for 1st Grade
Complete List of First Grade Sight Words
How to Teach Sight Words for First Grade
What are first grade sight words?
First grade sight words are commonly used terms that children are encouraged to recognize instantly (i.e., at first sight) without sounding them out. Often, these words don't follow typical phonetic rules, which makes them harder to decode using standard reading strategies.
Since these words appear frequently in early English reading materials, knowing them can boost reading fluency and comprehension. That’s because, by quickly recognizing these words, your child can focus on comprehending the meaning of the text rather than struggling to decode each word.
Some common sight words for 1st grade include high-frequency words like “and,” “as,” “is,” “it,” and “the.” Continue reading to see a complete list!
How many sight words should a first grader know?
Wondering how many sight words your child should know? Most children should know about 100 to 123* sight words by the end of first grade.
That said, every child is unique and learns at a different speed. Some kids will pick up sight words quickly and exceed this number, while others might need more practice to reach their goals. Therefore, if your first grader doesn’t know all these words, that’s ok! The key is consistent practice and strategies that work for them. Try incorporating some of our helpful teaching tips below.
*We’ve combined the Dolch and Fry sight word lists below to calculate the total number of sight words a first grader should know (without duplicates).
Now that you know how many sight words your first grader should know, let’s look at the list of words.
Dolch First Grade Sight Words
The first list of 1st grade sight words we’ll share is the Dolch list. The Dolch Sight Words List is one of the most popular tools for teaching early literacy.
How many first grade Dolch sight words are there?
The entire Dolch list contains 220 words and 95 nouns. Of these, there are 41 Dolch words for kids in grade one. These words include a combination of common nouns and pronouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, etc., that children frequently encounter in reading material.
Dolch First Grade Sight Words List
Below is a list of all 41 Dolch sight words for 1st grade. The goal is for your child to know all these words by the end of grade one.
1. after
2. again
3. an
4. any
5. as
6. ask
7. by
8. could
9. every
10. fly
11. from
12. give
13. going
14. had
15. has
15. her
17. him
18. his
19. how
20. just
21. know
22. let
23. live
24. may
25. of
26. old
27. once
28. open
29. over
30. put
31. round
32. some
33. stop
34. take
35. thank
36. them
37. then
38. think
39. walk
40. were
41. when
Now, let’s look at another common list of first grade sight words - the Fry list.
First Grade Fry Sight Words
The Fry Sight Words List contains a total of 1,000 words. These words are divided into groups of 100. The first 100 words on the Fry list are the most important for kids in grade one.
How many Fry sight words should a first grader know?
By the end of first grade, students are typically expected to recognize around 100 Fry words. (The following 100 Fry words should be mastered by the end of 2nd grade.) These words are important because they represent roughly 50% of all the words your child will encounter in their reading material.
But what are these words, exactly? Let’s take a look.
Fry 1st Grade Sight Words List
Below is a list of the Fry words your child should know by the end of first grade.
- the
- of
- and
- a
- to
- in
- is
- you
- that
- it
- he
- was
- for
- on
- are
- as
- with
- his
- they
- I
- at
- be
- this
- have
- from
- or
- one
- had
- by
- words
- but
- not
- what
- all
- were
- we
- when
- your
- can
- said
- there
- use
- an
- each
- which
- she
- do
- how
- their
- if
- will
- up
- other
- about
- out
- many
- then
- them
- these
- so
- some
- her
- would
- make
- like
- him
- into
- time
- has
- look
- two
- more
- write
- go
- see
- number
- no
- way
- could
- people
- my
- than
- first
- water
- been
- called
- who
- am
- its
- now
- find
- long
- down
- day
- did
- get
- come
- made
- may
- part
Looking for a complete list of all the sight words for 1st grade (Dolch and Fry)? We’ve created one for you!
A Complete List of All 123 First Grade Sight Words [Dolch + Fry]
Below, we’ve combined the Dolch and Fry lists to create the ultimate sight word list (with no duplicates). If your child knows all 123 words by the end of grade one, they are well on their way to literacy success!
- a
- about
- after
- again
- all
- am
- an
- and
- any
- are
- as
- ask
- at
- be
- been
- but
- by
- called
- can
- come
- could
- day
- did
- do
- down
- each
- every
- find
- first
- fly
- for
- from
- get
- give
- go
- going
- had
- has
- have
- he
- her
- him
- his
- how
- I
- if
- in
- into
- is
- it
- its
- just
- know
- let
- like
- live
- long
- look
- made
- make
- many
- may
- more
- my
- no
- not
- now
- number
- of
- old
- on
- once
- one
- open
- or
- other
- out
- over
- part
- people
- put
- round
- said
- see
- she
- so
- some
- stop
- take
- than
- thank
- that
- the
- their
- them
- then
- there
- these
- they
- think
- this
- time
- to
- two
- up
- use
- walk
- was
- water
- way
- we
- were
- what
- when
- which
- who
- will
- with
- words
- would
- write
- you
- your
Now that you have a complete list of sight words in hand, we’ll share some tips for teaching these words at home.
How to Teach First Grade Sight Words - 7 Tips
Want to help your child learn sight words and improve their literacy skills? These seven practical tips for teaching sight words at home will help you get started!
Start Small
Begin with just a few terms at a time (e.g., 3 to 5 sight words for first grade). By starting small, you can prevent your child from becoming overwhelmed and discouraged. Once they’ve mastered these few words, you can move on to the next before practicing them all together.
Read Books Together
Choose just right books that incorporate first grade sight words and read them together. As you read, point out sight words and encourage your child to recognize and read them independently. This exercise is also valuable because it lets your child see sight words used in content, promoting a better understanding of each word.
Use Technology
Take advantage of educational reading apps like Booka that offer read along books for kids. These read aloud books allow children to hear the words of a story spoken out loud as they follow along. Subsequently, this reinforces sight-word recognition through both auditory and visual learning.
Practice Sight Words for 1st Grade Daily
Consistency is essential when it comes to sight words. So, be sure to incorporate short, daily practice sessions to help your child retain words. These sessions can be as brief as 5 to 10 minutes, but regularity is essential to help build confidence and recognition.
Incorporate Fun Games and Activities
Learning doesn’t have to feel like work! Use games and activities to make learning 1st grade sight words fun (see our recommendations below). This will help your first grader stay engaged and encourage excitement about mastering new words.
Mix Sight Word Practice with Phonics at Home
Knowing how to sound out words and recognize first grade sight words helps boost reading fluency and comprehension. Thus, mixing phonics and sight word practice can enhance reading skills overall.
Be Patient and Consistent
Every child learns at their own pace, so patience is critical. With consistent practice, your child will gradually build their sight word vocabulary and grow more confident in their reading abilities!
BONUS: Sight Words Games to Try at Home
Make sight word learning exciting with these fun games and activities that encourage creativity and active engagement.
Sight Word Hopscotch
What You’ll Need:
Sidewalk chalk or masking tape (for indoors).
How To Play:
- Draw a hopscotch grid on the ground outside using chalk, or make one indoors using masking tape.
- Write a sight word in each square.
- As your child hops through the grid, have them read each sight word they land on.
To add to the challenge, give your child a sentence and have them hop to the sight word that completes it. For example, “I got a present _ my sister.” In this case, the first grade sight words to complete the sentence would be “for” or “from.”
This game combines physical activity with sight word recognition, making learning active and fun!
Sight Word Treasure Hunt with Clues
What You’ll Need:
Sight word flashcards and a small prize (optional).
How To Play:
- Write clues on the back of sight word cards and hide them around the house or yard. Each card should lead to the next hidden card using a simple sentence. For example, the card for “under” might say, “Look under the table.”
- When your child finds the card, they must read the sight word aloud and follow the next clue. The final card can lead to a small treasure or treat!
This game combines reading and problem-solving. Plus, it will keep your child engaged as they try to guess what comes next.
Sight Word Tic-Tac-Toe
What You’ll Need:
A piece of paper and a marker.
How To Play:
- Draw a tic-tac-toe grid on a piece of paper and write a first grade sight word in each space.
- Players take turns picking a square, but before they can claim it with an "X" or "O," they have to read the sight word inside correctly.
- If they can't, the other player can steal the square by reading the word correctly.
This quick and easy game makes learning sight words for 1st grade competitive and fun.
Teach Sight Words with Booka
Are you looking for an easy way to teach first grade sight words at home? Parents and caregivers around the globe are turning to Booka to make sight word learning engaging and effective.
With its extensive collection of books tailored to first graders, Booka allows children to practice sight words in a natural, story-based setting. As a result, first graders can strengthen their word recognition and retention by practicing sight words in context.
Plus, the app’s Read To Me feature lets kids follow along as a professional narrator reads the text aloud, highlighting sight words for grade 1 in real-time. So, even when you're busy, your child can enjoy meaningful reading practice at home.
Download Booka today and discover why parents and kids love this reading app for kids!