The first 100 English words: what to teach before everything else
Aylara A.
Kids' teacher · founder of AylaraTalks
The first hundred words decide whether English feels like the child's toy or the parents' project. The map below follows one rule: teach words the child can point at, act out or shout about — usefulness to a seven-year-old is not the same as usefulness to a tourist.
Waves one and two (words 1–50)
- Wave 1 — me and mine: hello, bye, yes, no, family words, numbers 1–5, colours red/blue/green/yellow.
- Wave 2 — my world: pets and classic animals, toys, 5 foods the child actually eats, big/small.
- Games here: Flip Cards picture-first, Memory with pictures only, lots of pointing and grabbing.
Waves three and four (words 51–100)
- Wave 3 — my body and my day: body parts, actions (run, jump, sleep, eat), numbers to 10, weather basics.
- Wave 4 — my places: home objects, school things, transport the child rides or adores.
- Games here: Bingo (listening!), Balloon Words for first spelling, Name 3 once topics accumulate.
What NOT to teach in the first 100
- Days of the week and months — abstract time means nothing at five; park them for later.
- Classroom-English-only words (blackboard, ruler) before words the child owns emotionally.
- Politeness formulas beyond please/thank you — they're phrases, not understanding.
⭐ Take this with you
First hundred = the child's own universe in English: me, my people, my animals, my body, my toys. Teach in waves, play every wave, and skip anything a seven-year-old wouldn't point at.
🎈 Put it into play
Everything here pairs with our free classroom games — no prep, no accounts.
About the author
Aylara A.
Kids' teacher · founder of AylaraTalks
Aylara is a kids' teacher who spent years hand-making every classroom game — cutting cards and drawing boards on paper sheets. She created AylaraTalks so no teacher has to start from a blank page again.