Early Reading Blog

The Dolch sight word list is the most widely used high-frequency word list in American early reading instruction. Developed by Dr. Edward William Dolch in 1948, the list contains 220 service words plus 95 high-frequency nouns. Why these words matter: The 220 Dolch words account for approximately 50–75% of all words appearing in children’s books. A child who can read these automatically reads noticeably faster and with greater comprehension. Pre-Primer Dolch Words (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 ...

Teaching a child to read is one of the most impactful gifts you can give them. And you don’t need a teaching degree or an expensive curriculum — you need the right sequence, a few tools, and about 15 minutes a day. The Biggest Mistake Parents Make Most parents start with whole-word reading: they point to the word “cat” and say “that says cat.” Kids memorize it. Then the parent points to “can” and says “that says can.” The child memorizes that too. ...