Elementary Vocabulary Words: Lists by Grade Level

The 'Basic Vocabulary List' from Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets is a national resource designed to encourage elementary kids to read and help parents and educators implement effective strategies. The 'Basic Vocabulary List' provides basic vocabulary words that can help build your child's reading foundation. According to Reading Rockets, the 850 words that comprise the list account for 80% of the words most kids in grades 1-5 use in their writing. The list is divided by grade, starting with what your child needs to learn in grade one and ending with grade five. In addition, Reading Rockets provides a number of other helpful vocabulary teaching resources that you can use to help your child.

Kidzone's Dolch Word List

If your child is in preschool through 5th grade, you might want to check out Kidzone's list of 220 sight words called the Dolch Word List. These are words that your child should recognize instantly by sight and knowing them will making reading an easier and more enjoyable experience.

Kidzone also offers a number of games, worksheets and activities that can help increase your child's vocabulary. If you click on the Language Arts section, you'll find activities to help your child recognize consonants and vowels, phonics and letter recognition games. You can search through these resources on this site by grade level or by subject area.

Games and Activities from Vocabulary.co.il

For fun vocabulary activities and games, check out Vocabulary.co.il. This site offers hundreds of resources that can help your child improve his or her vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. These resources are divided into a large number of categories that can help you find specifically what your child needs to work on. These categories include parts of speech, analogies, contractions, syllables, oxymorons and idioms.