First 100 English Words Every Child Should Know (Free Printable PDF)

Quick answer: Start with 100 concrete, high-frequency words in 10 themes of 10: greetings and polite words, numbers, colors, animals, family, body parts, weather, basic verbs, everyday objects and food. Together they cover the core Pre-A1 vocabulary. Print this page or save it as a PDF, then practice one theme a day for about five minutes.

Here's a number that might surprise you: the 100 most common English words make up about half of all written English, according to the Oxford English Corpus. A small set of very frequent words does a lot of the work. Corpus studies of English, including Paul Nation's vocabulary research and the classic General Service List, consistently show that the most frequent words give learners a real head start.

But which 100 words should a young child learn first? Many of the most frequent ones are small grammar words like "the" and "of", which you can't point at. And how do you teach any of them without turning your living room into a classroom?

We've done that part for you. The list below is built on Small Universe's Pre-A1 curriculum, the word set our space-themed app starts with. We picked each word for how often kids actually run into it and how useful it is in daily life.

And yes, you can print it. This page is the printable, with no sign-up wall in front of it.

Why these 100 words matter

Some words are simply more useful than others. A child who learns "elephant," "red," and "hello" will use those words hundreds of times before they ever need "chandelier." The words on this list have a few things in common.

They're high frequency. Children hear these words every day, in picture books and cartoons as much as in conversation, and once they have them, everything else is easier to pick up.

They're concrete. Cognitive science shows that abstract words are hard for young children. A three-year-old can point at a "nose" or hold up "two" fingers, and that physical connection is what makes early vocabulary stick.

They're grouped by theme. Words learned in related groups are remembered better than words from a random list, so we sorted by category instead of alphabetically. (For a themed example, check out our space vocabulary list for kids.)

In Small Universe, your child meets most of these words on Earth, the first planet in the app; the food and everyday-object words mostly come a little later, on Mars and Jupiter. The same words come back in different game types, from matching and memory to bubble pop and drag-and-drop, so kids meet each one more than once before moving on.

Try the Earth planet free in Small Universe

The 100 words, organized by theme

We picked the 10 most useful words from each of 10 categories. These are the words your child will get the most use out of, at 3 years old or at 8.

1. Greetings and polite words

These are the words kids need from day one. They open doors (literally and socially).

Picture a four-year-old who started learning English a few months ago, in a family that speaks another language at home. One morning at nursery, she walks up to a teacher she's never met, says "Hello! Good morning!" and the teacher's face lights up. A moment like that, two words used in the right context, can give a child the confidence to keep going.

2. Numbers

Numbers are everywhere: ages, birthdays, counting snacks, reading clocks. Kids who know their numbers in English get to use them all day, starting with math and games.

Start with fingers. Hold up three fingers, say "three." Then count toys, stairs, grapes. Numbers become real when they're attached to objects.

3. Colors

Colors are one of the easiest categories to teach because they're visible. Point at anything, name the color, done.

During a walk, try "I spy something... blue!" It costs nothing, and kids don't notice they're learning.

4. Animals

Most kids love animals. These 10 are the ones they'll run into most often in books, at the zoo and in conversation.

Say a six-year-old who has practiced these animals for a few months goes to the zoo. At the penguin enclosure, he turns to an English-speaking boy next to him and says, "Look! Penguin!" and the two of them end up watching together, pointing and laughing. He doesn't need grammar for that, only one word at the right time.

5. Family

Family words are personal and mean a lot to children, and they're among the first words kids want to say.

Try making a simple family tree poster with photos and English labels. Kids love seeing familiar faces paired with new words.

6. Body parts

Body vocabulary works well because children carry their "learning material" with them everywhere. Touch your nose, say "nose." It doesn't get more direct than that.

"Simon Says" is hard to beat for body part vocabulary. "Simon says touch your nose!" gets kids moving and speaking at the same time.

7. Weather and seasons

Weather is the small talk everyone falls back on, adults included. Kids who know these words can describe what they see out the window every single morning.

Every morning, look out the window together and describe the weather in English. "It's sunny today!" It takes three seconds, and it adds up over time.

8. Basic verbs

Verbs do the work in a sentence. Even without perfect grammar, a child who says "want water" or "go park" is communicating clearly.

Why these verbs? They're the ones that combine with everything. "Want milk," "go home," "open door," "see bird." A child with ten verbs and fifty nouns can say hundreds of things.

9. Food

Food vocabulary is motivating for obvious reasons. Kids care about what they eat, and mealtimes happen three times a day.

We added this category to round out the 100. Earth's market lesson starts with fruit and vegetables, and most of these food words come up in the food lessons on Mars and Jupiter.

10. Everyday objects

These are things kids handle every day, and knowing the words lets them name what's around them.

How to practice at home (5 tips that actually work)

You don't need to be a teacher. You don't even need to be fluent. Here's what works:

1. Label the house

Stick small labels on objects around your home: "door," "table," "chair," "bed." Your child will read them dozens of times a day without any effort. After a week, they just know.

2. Use the "one word upgrade"

During normal conversation in your home language, drop in one English word. Instead of asking your child to bring their shoes, say, "Bring your shoes, please." Just the word "shoes" in English, surrounded by their native language. There's no pressure, and the word comes up again and again.

3. Make it physical

Jump when you say "jump." Point to your nose when you say "nose." Touch something cold when you say "cold." Tying a word to a movement is one of the strongest ways young children remember it. The method is called Total Physical Response, and it works especially well for ages 3-7.

4. Five-minute daily sessions

Long study sessions backfire with young kids. Five minutes of focused, playful English practice beats thirty minutes of forced worksheets every time. For more hands-on ideas, see our tips on how to teach English to preschoolers. Use one category per day. Monday is animals, Tuesday is colors, Wednesday is numbers. Keep it predictable and short. (Need a ready-made structure? See our 15-minute daily English routine.)

5. Use an app that does the heavy lifting

Time to be upfront about our bias: we built Small Universe for exactly this problem. (See our roundup of the best English games for kids for more options.) The app teaches nearly all of these words (and hundreds more) across 17 different game types, and a lesson finished with full stars comes back for a review 72 hours later, so the words get a second look. Your child plays space exploration games while the curriculum runs quietly underneath.

Play Small Universe free in your browser, starting with the Earth planet

What does CEFR Pre-A1 mean? (the simple version)

You might have noticed we mentioned "Pre-A1" earlier. Here's what that means in plain language.

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is the international standard for measuring language ability. It runs from Pre-A1 (absolute beginner) to C2 (native-like fluency). Schools and language programs around the world use it.

Pre-A1 is the very first level. If you're wondering whether your child is ready to start, our guide on when to start learning English covers the research. A child at Pre-A1 can:

• Recognize and say individual words (not full sentences yet)
• Understand simple instructions like "sit down" or "open your book"
• Point to pictures and name what they see
• Respond to basic yes/no questions

The 100 words in this article cover the core Pre-A1 vocabulary. Once your child knows these, they're ready to start combining words into short phrases, which is the beginning of A1.

In Small Universe's curriculum:

The 100 words in this printable are where the Earth planet starts.

What comes after the first 100?

Once your child is comfortable with these words, the next step is to go deeper with them, rather than memorize another 100 random ones.

Words turn into phrases. "Red" becomes "the red ball." "Want" becomes "I want water." "Go" becomes "let's go to the park." That's the natural move from Pre-A1 to A1.

Recognition turns into production. First, kids learn to recognize a word when they hear it or see it. Then they learn to say it themselves. Then they use it in context. Good learning programs build all three stages in.

And the categories start to connect. Instead of knowing "sunny" as an isolated weather word, your child starts saying "It's sunny, I want to go outside." The words start working together.

The turning point often comes when a child who knows most of this list puts three words together on her own. Picture a seven-year-old at the window during a rainstorm saying "Daddy, look, rainbow!" and choosing English to share her excitement. That's when you know the vocabulary has become real.

From here, each new word gets easier because it connects to something your child already knows.

Explore the full Pre-A1 to B1 curriculum in Small Universe

Print the free list (or save it as a PDF)

There's no separate file to download. This page is the printable: use your browser's Print option to put all 100 words on paper, or pick "Save as PDF" in the print dialog to keep a copy. Once it's printed:

• Put the category tables on the fridge and work through one theme at a time
• Tick off words as your child learns them
• Start with the words your child can see or touch, like colors and body parts

Your child can learn these words interactively through Small Universe, a free space-themed English app that covers all 10 of these categories, most of them in Earth's 14 lessons. There are no ads, and no account is needed to play.

Try Small Universe free and learn these words through play

Want a structured, game-based way to teach these words? Try Small Universe free. Earth, the first planet, has 14 lessons built on this kind of starter vocabulary, each a few minutes long, with no ads and no pressure. If your child is 3 or 4, see our guide to the best English apps for 3-4 year olds for more options.

Small Universe is an English learning app for children from about age 3, adult beginners and families, themed around space exploration. The curriculum follows CEFR standards from Pre-A1 to B1 across seven planets, with 17 game types built around making vocabulary stick. Learn more at smalluni.com.

Frequently asked questions

Which English words should a child learn first?

Start with concrete, high-frequency words a child can see, touch or use every day: greetings, numbers, colors, animals, family, body parts, weather, basic verbs, everyday objects and food. Words learned in themed groups are remembered better than words from a random list, which is why this list is sorted by category.

How do I print the list or save it as a PDF?

There is no separate file to download, because this page is the printable. Use your browser's Print option to put all 100 words on paper, or pick Save as PDF in the print dialog to keep a copy. Then put the tables on the fridge and tick off words as your child learns them.

How long should daily practice be?

About five minutes. Long study sessions backfire with young kids, and five minutes of focused, playful practice beats thirty minutes of forced worksheets. Use one category per day, such as animals on Monday, colors on Tuesday and numbers on Wednesday, and keep it predictable and short.

What comes after the first 100 words?

Go deeper with the same words instead of memorizing another 100 random ones. Words turn into phrases, so "red" becomes "the red ball". Recognition turns into saying the word and then using it in context, and the categories start to connect. That is the natural move from Pre-A1 to A1.

Sources

This guide draws on the following research and reference works. It is written by Paul B.

• Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press.
• West, M. (1953). A General Service List of English Words. Longman.
• Council of Europe (2020). CEFR Companion Volume (Pre-A1 vocabulary descriptors).