Theme worksheet
Dolch Primer Sight Words Handwriting Worksheets
Build on the pre-primer set with the Dolch primer list. Tracing and copying words like have, they, and please helps young readers write them automatically.
Word list
- he
- she
- they
- have
- like
- was
- what
- came
- good
- please
- want
- yes
- 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 primer list is the second Dolch level and is typically used in kindergarten, after children know most of the pre-primer words. The full primer list is: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes. Its 52 words include pronouns, past-tense verbs like 'came' and 'went', and look-alike pairs such as 'there' and 'they', which handwriting practice helps students tell apart.
The worksheet starts with 12 primer words; paste in more from the list above, or rotate in a new group of 12 each week until students have written all 52. Putting reversible pairs such as 'was' and 'saw' or 'on' and 'no' on the same sheet is a simple way to practice careful letter order.
- 01
A ready-made word list
Starts loaded with themed words like he, she, they, have — 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
- How many primer words should I put on one worksheet?
- Ten to twelve words fit comfortably on one page with room for tracing and copying. Splitting the 52 words into groups of that size gives you about five sheets that cover the whole primer list.
- Are these the same as kindergarten sight words?
- Many kindergarten word lists draw from the Dolch pre-primer and primer levels, so there is a lot of overlap. If your school uses its own list, compare it with the primer words above and edit the worksheet to match.
- Are the Dolch 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.