You can look on the Internet for lists of 'Most used words'/'First 100 words'/'most commonly used words'; these may vary a little according to which country you're in. Many schools here in Australia teach the M100W (Magic 100 Words).
Some children will pick up common words easily, but others will need to practise frequently before the words become ingrained. This can be very tedious and off-putting, so it's good to use games to encourage them to practise.
Some ideas for games are on my free-fun-n-games.com website:
I'm posting other printable game boards here, many of which can be used with sight words cards.
You can make your own sight words cards (cut up light card, cereal boxes or paper and write the names on one side - use pencil if writing on paper, so the words don't show through). Put the cards face down in a pile, or put them in a bag or tissue box, to pick them out of.
You could also write a numbered list of 12 words, and just get your child to roll 1 or 2 dice to pick which word on the list to read.
Children who can write can make their own word lists or cards - this is excellent practice; just check that the words are spelt correctly. Older siblings can make word cards or games for younger ones. Writing the words they know in notes, letters or stories is also an excellent way to reinforce them.
"Flash Cards" are also good to have - make them a bit larger, and use coloured pens or different/decorated fonts. You can use them in games, practise how quickly they can go through them, or leave them around the house.
It's a good idea to have a selection of about 12 words to practise - 3 'known' words, 6 'almost-known' words and 3 'new' words. You can rotate these as they become familiar or as you come across new words that need to be learnt.
For beginner readers, I like to add in words that are already familiar to them - including their name, family or pet names, and words such as Mum/Mom, Dad etc. This makes it more personal and gives them confidence. It's really important that children have fun with words and gain a sense of achievement as they learn them.
One way to help children gain a sense of their progress is to check off words on a list each time they read them correctly. I made a "Fast Track Words" booklet for some of my reluctant students, who were more interested in riding bikes than in learning words (and who can blame them?).
Here's the book cover if you would like to use it; just staple in some blank pages - see instructions below- and print off some "Fast Track" Word Lists:
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