Top List of 94 Kindergarten Sight Words To Ready Children For School

Boost your child or student’s reading skills with kindergarten sight words. These words lay a solid foundation for early literacy and a lifelong love of reading.

There’s a silent epidemic happening right now, and kindergarten sight words are our first layer of defense.

Did you know that an alarming 40% of students in America fail to read at a basic level? Reading is a critical skill that sets up children for success. As children’s brains are 90% complete when they enter kindergarten, exposing them to commonly used words aids them in many ways. They can read, spell, and comprehend better.

Take it from millionaire entrepreneur Jim Rohn. He said, “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” So prepare your child to be extraordinary via our comprehensive kindergarten sight words list. Help them excel in their classes and, eventually, in life.

If you’re using this resource to teach kids how to read and write, check out our companion article on the best books for five-year-olds next!

What Are Kindergarten Sight Words?

Kindergarten sight words are popular words that kids should understand immediately. They appear regularly in all types of written text.

Early learners should be familiar with them if they want to read and write. Children should memorize and recognize these terms by sight and thus the name. Teachers and parents can introduce these words through flashcards or repetitive use of sentences where a child can see and hear them.

How Many Sight Words Should Kindergarteners Know?

Kindergartners should know 50-100 sight words by the end of their first school year. That figure depends on the child’s abilities. As these words are basic, they should recognize these sight words and not have to spell or sound them out.

Below is a list of kindergarten sight words that you can teach to early learners:

A	His	Talk
All	How	That
Am	I	The
An	If	Their
And	In	There
Are	Into	They
As	Is	This
At	It	To
Ate	Like	Too
Be	Must	Two
Black	New	Under
Brown	No	Use
But	Not	Walk
Buy	Now	Want
By	Of	Was
Came	On	We
Can	Once	Well
Come	One	Went
Did	Or	Were
Do	Our	What
Does	Out	When
Each	Please	Which
Eat	Pretty	White
For	Ran	Who
Four	Ride	Will
From	Said	With
Get	Saw	Words
Good	Say	Yes
Guy	She	You
Had	So	Your
Have	Some
He	Soon

Kindergarten Sight Words Printable

High-Frequency Kindergarten Sight Words

As the name implies, high-frequency words appear most commonly in print and daily conversations. Children need to recognize these words to encourage interest in what they’re reading. Subsequently, they will find reading and writing easier as they become more familiar with these terms.

1. A

A cat is playing with a ball.

2. And

I have an apple and a banana.

3. For

The dog is for you.

4. He

He is my best friend.

5. In

The toy is in the box.

6. Is

Is this your pencil?

7. It

It is a sunny day.

8. Of

My notebook’s cover is a picture of a kangaroo.

9. That

The color that I like is blue.

10. The

The ball is round.

11. To

I am going to the park.

12. Was

It was a fun day.

13. You

You are my friend.

Non-Phonetic Kindergarten Sight Words

Non-phonetic sight words are those that children can’t decode or spell by sounding out the letters. They are tricky words for young learners, so they must memorize them to avoid misinterpretations.

14. Buy

I want to buy a new toy car.

15. Come

Will you come to my birthday party?

16. Does

How does a bird fly?

17. Guy

Look at that guy in the funny costume!

18. Once

We eat ice cream once a week.

19. One

I have one big blue marble.

20. Some

Mom baked some cookies for us.

21. Talk

Let’s talk about your favorite cartoon.

22. two

I have two teddy bears.

23. Walk

We can walk to the park together.

Dolch Kindergarten Sight Words

The Father of Sight Words, Dr. Edward William Dolch, studied the most used words in children’s books during the 1930s and 1940s. The 220 terms on the Dolch Sight Words list are divided by grade levels, with 52 words dedicated to the Kindergarten level. We’ll skip the terms that already belong to the previous sections.

24. Am

I am happy to play with my friends. 

25. At

I read a book at the library. 

26. Ate

The bear ate all the honey. 

27. Be

Be kind to your friends. 

28. Black

My cat is black. 

29. Brown

The chocolate cake is brown. 

30. Came

Mom came to pick me up from school. 

31. Did

I did my homework. 

32. Eat

We eat breakfast in the morning. 

33. Four

My family has four members. 

34. Get

Can I get a toy, please? 

35. Good

Apples are good for health. 

36. Have

I have a pet dog. 

37. Into

We walked into the park. 

38. Like

I like to eat ice cream. 

39. Must

We must brush our teeth twice a day. 

40. New

I got a new bicycle. 

41. No

Say no to bullying. 

42. Now

Let’s play now. 

43. Our

The blue house by the lake is our home. 

44. Out

Come out and play in the sunshine. 

45. Please

Please give me a cookie.

46. Pretty

The butterfly is very pretty. 

47. Ran

The rabbit ran fast. 

48. Ride

I want to ride my bicycle. 

49. Saw

I saw a deer yesterday. 

50. Say

I say thank you for the gift. 

51. She

She is my best friend. 

52. So

She was not feeling well, so we went with her to the clinic. 

53. Soon

We will go to the zoo soon. 

54. They

They are playing in the park. 

55. This

This is my favorite toy. 

56. Too

Can I have some cake too? 

57. Under

The cat is hiding under the bed. 

58. Want

I want to go to the playground. 

59. Well

He did the job well. 

60. Went

We went to the beach last summer. 

61. White

The clouds are white. 

62. Who

Who is at the door? 

63. Will

I will help you with your project. 

64. With

I am playing with my toys. 

65. Yes

Yes, I will have more ice cream.

Fry Kindergarten Sight Words

Dr. Edward Fry’s list is an “updated” Dolch Sight Words list. It’s a list of the 1,000 most common words seen in reading materials, divided into groups of 100. The first 50 words are for those in kindergarten. We’ll skip the words tackled in the previous sections to avoid repetition.

66. All

All the apples on the tree are red.

67. An

I have an ice cream cone.

68. Are

The flowers are blooming in the garden.

69. As

Cats, as well as dogs, are my favorite pets.

70. But

I love cookies, but I don’t like broccoli.

71. By

The book by the lamp is mine.

72. Can

I can jump high.

73. Do

We do our homework every day.

74. Each

Each child gets a balloon.

75. From

I learn from my sister.

76. Had

I had a great day at the playground.

77. His

His hat is blue.

How do you tie your shoelaces?

79. I

I love to read books.

80. If

If it rains, we will stay inside.

81. Not

This is not my toy.

82. On

Sit on the chair.

83. Or

My cat or my dog will play with me.

84. Said

She said “hello” to her friend.

85. Their

Their ball is in the yard.

86. There

There is a bird in the cage.

87. Use

I use a spoon to eat my cereal.

88. We

We are going to the zoo.

89. Were

They were happy at the party.

90. What

What is your name?

91. When

When is your birthday?

92. Which

Which ice cream do you want?

93. Words

I learn new words every day.

94. Your

This is your pencil.

Boost your children’s learning by introducing them to figures of speech, starting with Metaphors. See our article on Metaphor Examples for Kids!