Theme worksheet
Dolch Pre-Primer Sight Words Handwriting Worksheets
Start sight word handwriting at the very first Dolch level. Tracing and copying pre-primer words like the, and, see, and look builds early reading and pencil control together.
Word list
- the
- and
- a
- I
- see
- can
- go
- look
- play
- you
- big
- help
- Template
- Trace and Copy
- Font
- Delius
- Guide lines
- Three-line
- Paper
- US Letter or A4
Free printable PDF
Download this sheet as shown and print it at home or school. No account needed.
Want your own words? Customizing and previewing are free; printing and downloading your custom sheets come with Pro. See plans
About this worksheet
The pre-primer list is the first Dolch sight word level and is typically used in preschool and kindergarten, when children are just starting to recognize words on sight. The full pre-primer list is: 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. That is 40 words, most of them only two to four letters long, which makes this level a gentle start for tracing and copying.
The worksheet starts with 12 of these words; paste in any of the remaining pre-primer words, or the whole list, and the editor builds a trace and copy row for each one. Keep 'I' capitalized as it appears in the list, and try a larger letter size and taller lines for preschool writers before you preview and print.
- 01
A ready-made word list
Starts loaded with themed words like the, and, a, I — edit, reorder, or add your own.
- 02
Trace then copy each word
Faded guide text to trace, followed by blank lines to write the word from memory.
- 03
Print or export clean
Three-line or four-line guides on Letter or A4 paper, with live preview before you print.
Questions
- Why is 'I' capitalized when the other words are lowercase?
- 'I' is always capitalized in English, so it stays uppercase on the worksheet. Every other pre-primer word appears in lowercase so students practice the letter shapes they see most often in books.
- What comes after the pre-primer list?
- The Dolch primer list comes next, followed by the first, second, and third grade lists. Once students write the pre-primer words comfortably, move on to the primer worksheet or mix a few primer words into this list.
- Are the Dolch pre-primer worksheets free?
- Yes. The sample sheet on this page is a free PDF in US Letter or A4, no account needed. Creating and previewing your own version is free too; printing and downloading custom sheets come with Pro, which also removes the preview watermark.