Dr. Seuss wrote many books for beginning readers that have become classics. His book "Green Eggs and Ham" was the result of a wager between him and his publisher that he couldn't write a book using only 50 words. This book, published in 1960, was the result. Read this book repeatedly and you'll find your child soon quoting it along with you as he easily memorizes the 50 words in the book.
Rhymes have long been a way to easily memorize words. Memorizing nursery rhymes with children is a great pre-reading exercise. Recite the rhymes together, and after the child has memorized the rhyme, read it together, pointing at each word as your child says it. Mother Goose nursery rhymes are filled with both easy and silly words that children can memorize easily.
Word Wall Words are those compiled from a survey of early reading books and primers. This survey tabulated the most frequently used words in beginner reading books. When beginning readers memorize the top 100 words, they're laying a foundation for understanding the books they will encounter early in their school career. They also are easier to memorize because they occur so frequently in reading material. Parents using Word Wall Words are encouraged to record the words on posters and put them on the wall of the child's room.
There are 200 words on the list of sight words, also known as the Dolch word list. These words represent 50 to 75 percent of all the words used in nontechnical documents. They are the most frequently used words in the English language and form the basis for many reading programs for young readers. They have been divided into lists for preschool, kindergarten, first grade and second grade readers. Beginning readers need to become familiar with these words so they can recognize them as they read.