Dolch Words is a list of common words in children’s books compiled by Edward William Dolch to help children become stronger readers. The list contains 220 service words and 95 common nouns, categorized by grade level. Educators recommend children learn as many of the 315 words as possible by the end of first grade. Reading is the best way to help children advance, and experts recommend reading to or with your child for at least 15 minutes every day.
Dolch Words is an organized list of the most common words in children’s books. The list was originally compiled by Edward William Dolch, Ph.D. as part of his philosophy that children who focused and learned these words would become stronger readers. Dolch words are also commonly referred to as “sight words” because many of the words are not phonetic and most of the words cannot be illustrated, so children must learn them by sight.
Dolch words are categorized by grade level, and the list contains 220 service words and 95 common nouns. Words like a, e, for, and appear among the 40 pre-primer words, and the list builds up to words like done, laugh, and along at the third grade level. Nouns like dog, duck, party, and picture are part of the separate list of 95 word names.
Although Dolch Words are graded through third grade, most educators prefer that children learn as many of the 3 total words as possible by the end of first grade, including all 315 service words. Teachers often provide students with a list of Dolch words to practice at home in addition to reviewing them in class. The spelling word lists in many curricula will contain words from Dolch’s word lists.
A Dolch word list can be obtained through your child’s teacher or through many online educational websites. To help your child learn Dolch words, you can try simple exercises like making flash cards or highlighting words in early reader books and have your child practice identifying the words. Once children learn to write, select Dolch words in groups of ten and have your child write them alphabetically.
While there are many ways to help your child become familiar with Dolch’s words, reading is the best way to help them advance. In children’s books, Dolch words appear frequently and are contextualized, which will help your child identify the words and their meaning. Education experts recommend reading to or with your child for at least 15 minutes every day. This small time commitment early in their educational career will yield a large payoff later in life as they become strong and fluent readers.
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