Dolch 1st Grade Sight Word Flash Cards
Free printable flash cards for all 41 Dolch 1st grade sight words, one word per card. The online cards come shuffled, so the words never come up in the same order twice. Go through them on screen below, or download the PDF for US Letter or A4.
Word list and checklist: US Letter PDF · A4 PDF
All 41 cards in this set
- after
- again
- an
- any
- as
- ask
- by
- could
- every
- fly
- from
- give
- going
- had
- has
- her
- him
- his
- how
- just
- know
- let
- live
- may
- of
- old
- once
- open
- over
- put
- round
- some
- stop
- take
- thank
- them
- then
- think
- walk
- were
- when
How to print these flashcards
- Download the PDF in US Letter or A4.
- Print single-sided. There is nothing on the backs.
- Use cardstock (65 to 110 lb) if you have it. It lasts longer. Plain paper works too.
- Cut once down the middle, then across along the dashed lines. The cards run to the edges of the page, so there is nothing to trim at the sides, and the top and bottom cuts take off the small header and footer.
- For cards that last all year, laminate them and keep each set on a binder ring.
How to practice Dolch 1st grade sight words
Hold up a card and give your child a few seconds to read it. Words read straight away go on a "know it" pile. If a word takes sounding out, say it, have your child say it back, and put it back in the stack.
Start with five to ten cards, not the whole list. Add new words only once the pile is mostly known. A few minutes a day works better than one long session a week.
Make it a game: lay a few cards face up and call out a word for your child to find, or hide cards around the room to find and read. Once a word is known, look for it together in a picture book.
Tips for the Dolch 1st grade words
- This list is full of words that can't be sounded out: of, once, could, were, any. These are the ones to drill; the rest come quickly.
- Many 1st grade words start a question (how, when, could). Ask your child to use the word in a question after reading it.
- Watch "then" and "them", and "her" and "here". Read the two cards side by side and say what is different.
Who this set is for
Grade 1. These are the Dolch words for 1st grade. Many are hard to sound out (of, once, could, were), which is why they are worth learning on sight.
Frequently asked questions
What are Dolch sight words?
A list of 220 words, plus 95 nouns, put together by Edward Dolch in 1936 from the words that come up most in children's books. They make up over half of what children read, and many are hard to sound out, so children learn to recognize them on sight.
Do I need to print these double-sided?
No. Sight word cards only have the word on the front, so print them single-sided and cut along the dashed lines.
How many words are on the Dolch 1st grade list?
41. The full Dolch lists are pre-primer (40), primer (52), 1st grade (41), 2nd grade (46) and 3rd grade (41), which makes 220 words, plus 95 nouns.
What is the difference between Dolch and Fry sight words?
Dolch is 220 words plus 95 nouns, grouped by grade and based on children's books from the 1930s. Fry is 1,000 words ranked by how often they appear in reading for grades 3 to 9, from the 1950s onward. They overlap a lot. Dolch is the more common choice for preschool to 3rd grade.
Can I print these on A4 paper?
Yes. Use the A4 download. The cards are laid out to fit A4, so nothing gets cut off at the edges.
