What Parents Should Know About Dolch Words

My preschool-age daughter has always been very verbal and precociously literate. For most of her childhood, I've homeschooled her-- or, at the very least, used homeschooling to supplement her preschool learning. As I've honed my skills as a homeschooling mom, I've learned quite a bit about the steps that children take in learning to read fluently. One of the biggest steps my daughter has taken in learning to read involved the memorization of so-called Dolch words. Dolch words are absolutely critical in the development of a child's reading skills.

Dolch Words Defined 
In 1936, Dr. Edward William Dolch identified 220 nouns, pronouns, verbs and adjectives that he described as "service words." These words occurred in such frequency, particularly in the children's books of that era, that Dolch believed that children had to know them in order to read fluently. Dolch words include very common words such as "you" and "the," which children encounter daily. it also includes slightly less common, but equally important, words such as "farmer" and "round."

"Sight Words" vs. Dolch Words

Some specific Dolch words are called "sight words." This term refers to words such as "eye," "does," and "two." Sight words appear frequently in children's books, but they do not follow the rules of implicit phonics. In other words, an average kindergartener can't sound out the word "please" using simple phonics rules, but must know the word by sight in order to read fluently. Often, the term "sight word" is used interchangeably with "Dolch word," but not all Dolch words are sight words.

When Children Should Know Dolch Words

When Edward Dolch first identified his 220 "service words," he classified them by grade: pre-primer (preschool), primer (kindergarten), first grade, second grade, and third grade. However, today's standards are quite different. According to elementary-educators who I spoke with, children are expected to know learn most Dolch words in kindergarten, and the rest by the end of first grade. Children are not, however, expected to know Dolch words before entering school.

What Parents Should Do 
In general, it isn't necessary for parents to directly teach Dolch words to their children. An exception exists if you are a homeschooling parent or if your child has special needs. Precociously literate children may be ready to learn Dolch words before their schools or preschools begin teaching them. In that case, it can be wise to teach them at home. Additionally, children who are struggling in school can benefit from parental involvement to help them learn Dolch words before the end of first grade. Talk to your child's teacher for more information about Dolch words.