1st Grade Worksheets — Free Printable PDFs

Everything your first grader needs, completely free. These printable PDFs for ages 6–7 cover math, reading, spelling, and handwriting — each one mapped to the Common Core standard it teaches, and ready to print straight from your browser. Four full 1st grade reading passages with questions are on this page too, if you want something to read together right now.

✓ 100% free · ✓ No signup · ✓ Instant PDF · ✓ Answer keys included · ✓ CCSS-aligned

Start Here: 1st Grade's Three Anchor Skills

If you print nothing else this week, print these three. Addition within 20, sight words, and phonics are the skills first grade is built around — every other sheet below assumes them.

➕CCSS 1.OA.6

Addition Within 20

The major work of 1st grade math — fact fluency here is what every later sheet builds on.

👁️CCSS RF.1.3g

Sight Words

All 41 Dolch first-grade words as a checklist, flash cards, or trace-and-write pages.

🔤CCSS RF.1.3

Phonics

Digraphs, short-vowel CVC words, and silent-e — how first graders decode everything else.

Every 1st Grade Subject

Every first-grade skill gets its own page, with the Common Core standard it targets printed on the card — plus the general-purpose printables that pair with them. Choose one, set the options, and hit Print or Download PDF. Standards are shown in the usual shorthand: RF.1.3 is CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3 (phonics and word recognition), 1.OA.6 is CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.6 (add and subtract within 20).

Math

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA · 1.NBT · 1.MD · 1.G

➕CCSS 1.OA.6

Addition Within 20

Addition facts with answer keys, ten-frames, and missing addends

➖CCSS 1.OA.6

Subtraction Within 20

Subtraction with answer keys, ten-frames, and missing numbers

📏CCSS 1.OA.5

Number Line

Count on and back to add and subtract on a 0–20 number line

🔢CCSS 1.NBT.2

Place Value: Tens & Ones

Base-ten blocks, tens and ones, 10 more/less, and comparing

🕐CCSS 1.MD.3

Telling Time

Read clocks or draw the hands to the hour and half-hour

🔷CCSS 1.G.1

2-D & 3-D Shapes

Name shapes, count sides, and sort 2-D vs 3-D

🍕CCSS 1.G.3

Halves & Fourths

Equal shares — identify, color, and judge fractions

🔟CCSS 1.NBT.1

Hundreds Chart

Count to 120 and spot number patterns

Printing a math set tonight? Start with addition within 20 (CCSS 1.OA.6), add subtraction within 20 (CCSS 1.OA.6) once the facts are steady, and finish with telling time to the half-hour (CCSS 1.MD.3). Each page has Print and Download PDF buttons and an answer key — no signup.

Reading & Writing

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1 · RL.1 · RI.1 · L.1 · W.1

👁️CCSS RF.1.3g

Sight Words

Printable list of the 41 Dolch words + Fry, plus flash cards & practice

🔤CCSS RF.1.3

Phonics

sh / ch / th digraphs, short-vowel CVC words, and silent-e

✍️CCSS L.1.2d / L.1.2e

Spelling

CVC, silent-e, digraphs & sight words — write 3x, missing letter, unscramble

📖CCSS RL.1.1 / RI.1.1

Reading Comprehension

Short fiction & informational passages with key-detail questions

📝CCSS W.1.1 / W.1.2 / W.1.3

Writing Prompts

Opinion, informative & narrative prompts on primary-ruled lines

✏️CCSS L.1.1a

Handwriting Worksheets

Tracing, print & cursive practice — pick a style and print

📝CCSS Handwriting

Tracing Letters

Alphabet tracing to reinforce correct letter formation

🃏CCSS RF.1.3g

Flash Cards

Sight-word and math-fact flash cards

📚CCSS RF.1.4

Reading Log

Track books read at home with this printable log

Printing a reading set? Take the 41 Dolch first-grade sight words (CCSS RF.1.3g) as a checklist, flash cards, or trace-and-write pages, then one phonics page (CCSS RF.1.3) and a short passage with key-detail questions (CCSS RL.1.1 / RI.1.1). Every page prints or downloads as a PDF — free, no signup.

1st Grade Reading Passages

Four passages written at a first-grade level — two stories and two informational texts, 70 to 76 words each. Read one together, then ask the questions underneath; the standard each question practices is listed beside it, and the answer is there for you, not for the child. Nothing to download — these are here to use right now.

The Lost Sock

Fiction · 70 words

Rosa put on one blue sock. She looked for the other one.

She checked her drawer. She checked under her bed. The sock was not there.

Then she heard a small noise in the hall. Her puppy, Pip, ran past her. Pip had the blue sock in his mouth!

Rosa laughed and chased him. Pip dropped the sock by the door. Rosa put it on and gave Pip a pat.

Who is Pip?CCSS RL.1.3
Answer: Rosa's puppy.
Where did Rosa look for her sock?CCSS RL.1.1
Answer: In her drawer and under her bed.
What did Pip have in his mouth?CCSS RL.1.1
Answer: Rosa's blue sock.
How did Rosa feel when she saw Pip with the sock?CCSS RL.1.2
Answer: She laughed, so she thought it was funny.

The Kite

Fiction · 76 words

Jack got a red kite for his birthday. He wanted to fly it right away.

He ran across the yard, but the kite fell in the grass. He tried again. It fell again.

Grandpa came outside. He told Jack to wait for the wind.

Soon the trees began to move. Jack ran, and this time the kite went up and up. He held the string tight. The red kite looked like a bird in the sky.

What did Jack get for his birthday?CCSS RL.1.1
Answer: A red kite.
Why did the kite keep falling at first?CCSS RL.1.1
Answer: There was no wind yet.
Who told Jack to wait for the wind?CCSS RL.1.3
Answer: Grandpa.
What did the kite look like at the end?CCSS RL.1.1
Answer: A bird in the sky.

Owls

Informational · 71 words

An owl is a bird that hunts at night. Its big eyes help it see when the sky is dark.

An owl cannot move its eyes the way you can. Instead, it turns its whole head to look around.

Soft feathers help the owl fly without making noise. A mouse on the ground does not hear it coming.

Owls eat mice, bugs, and small birds. Most owls sleep during the day.

What is this passage mostly about?CCSS RI.1.2
Answer: Owls and how they hunt at night.
How do an owl's big eyes help it?CCSS RI.1.1
Answer: They help it see when it is dark.
Why does an owl turn its whole head?CCSS RI.1.1
Answer: Because it cannot move its eyes.
How do soft feathers help an owl?CCSS RI.1.1
Answer: The owl can fly without making noise, so a mouse does not hear it.

Penguins

Informational · 70 words

A penguin is a bird, but it cannot fly. Its wings work like flippers in the water.

Penguins are fast swimmers. They dive under the water to catch fish.

Thick feathers and a layer of fat keep a penguin warm in the cold.

When the wind blows hard, many penguins stand close together to share their heat. Most penguins live south of the equator, far from where polar bears live.

What is the main topic of this passage?CCSS RI.1.2
Answer: Penguins.
Can a penguin fly?CCSS RI.1.1
Answer: No — it uses its wings like flippers to swim.
What keeps a penguin warm?CCSS RI.1.1
Answer: Thick feathers and a layer of fat.
Why do penguins stand close together?CCSS RI.1.1
Answer: To share their heat when the wind blows hard.

Want these as a worksheet? The 1st grade reading comprehension worksheets page prints eight more passages with answer lines and an answer key (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1 / RI.1.1), and the K–5 reading comprehension worksheets page lets you drop a grade band if these are still too hard. If decoding is what is slowing your reader down rather than comprehension, back up to phonics (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3) and the 41 Dolch sight words (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3g) first.

What 1st Graders Are Learning

Phonics & Reading

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3 · RF.1.3g · RF.1.4 · RL.1.1 · RI.1.1

First grade is when most children truly learn to read. Students master short vowel sounds, consonant blends (like "bl," "cr," and "st"), and common digraphs like "sh," "ch," and "th." They build a bank of high-frequency sight words drawn from the Dolch and Fry lists, working toward automatic recognition of the most common words in print. By year's end, most 1st graders can read simple books independently and begin to understand what they read. Our K–5 reading comprehension worksheets let you drop a grade band if a passage is still too hard, or move up once it is not.

Math

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.5 · 1.OA.6 · 1.NBT.1 · 1.NBT.2 · 1.MD.3 · 1.G.1 · 1.G.3

First grade math builds the number sense that supports all future math learning. Students work intensively on addition and subtraction within 20, aiming for fluency with basic facts. They explore place value by grouping objects into tens and ones, compare two-digit numbers, and use tools like number lines and ten-frames to reason about quantity. Measurement, simple graphs, and geometry (identifying 2D and 3D shapes) round out the year. Once facts within 20 are automatic, second grade math extends the same work to addition and subtraction within 100.

Writing & Handwriting

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.1a · L.1.2d · L.1.2e · W.1.1 · W.1.2 · W.1.3

In first grade, students move from copying letters to expressing ideas in writing. They practice forming all uppercase and lowercase letters correctly on primary three-line paper, write complete sentences with capital letters and end punctuation, and begin drafting short pieces. Spelling patterns — short vowels, blends, and word families — are introduced alongside daily handwriting practice that builds both skill and confidence. The right tools help: our roundup of the best pencils and supplies for printable worksheets covers the No. 2 pencils and grips that make early handwriting easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

What worksheets should 1st graders practice?

First graders benefit most from worksheets that reinforce the foundational skills of the year: sight word recognition, phonics and short-vowel spelling, addition and subtraction within 20, place value (tens and ones), telling time to the hour and half-hour, and handwriting practice. A mix of reading, writing, and math worksheets keeps learning balanced and builds confidence across subjects.

What math does 1st grade cover?

First grade math focuses on addition and subtraction within 20, with students working toward fluency with basic facts. They also learn place value concepts (tens and ones), how to compare numbers, measure lengths with non-standard units, and tell time to the hour and half-hour. Number lines and ten-frames are common tools used to build number sense.

Are these 1st grade worksheets free?

Yes — every worksheet on Printable Polly is completely free. There is no signup, no account, and no paywall. Open any worksheet you need and print it directly from your browser. These are designed for both classroom teachers and parents supporting learning at home.

How long should a 1st grade reading passage be?

Short enough to read in one sitting. The four sample passages on this page run 70 to 76 words across four short paragraphs, with simple sentences and concrete vocabulary — long enough to hold a beginning, middle, and end, short enough that a first grader still has attention left for the questions. After reading, ask three or four questions: two or three about key details (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1 for stories, RI.1.1 for informational text) and one about the lesson or main topic (RL.1.2 / RI.1.2).

Are these worksheets aligned to Common Core?

Yes. Each first-grade worksheet is mapped to a specific Common Core State Standard — for example addition within 20 (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.6), place value with tens and ones (1.NBT.2), telling time to the half-hour (1.MD.3), phonics and word recognition (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3), and reading grade-level irregularly spelled sight words (RF.1.3g). The aligned standard is printed right on the worksheet so teachers and parents know exactly what skill it targets.

Too Easy or Too Hard?

First grade covers a wide range — a child in September and the same child in June need very different sheets. If these are landing wrong, step one grade in either direction.

Still too hard? Step back to

Kindergarten Worksheets

Letter recognition and tracing, counting, CVC words, and rhyming — the skills first grade assumes on day one.

Facts within 20 automatic? Move up to

2nd Grade Worksheets

The same skills, one step wider — addition and subtraction within 100, place value to 1,000, and telling time to five minutes.

Other Grade Levels

Looking for worksheets for a different grade? We have printable hubs for every elementary grade level.

Kindergarten 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade