Teaching grammar to young children is typically thought of as a tricky task. After all, little children with fragmented attention spans do not like to sit through a lesson on grammar rules. Only grammar lessons need not be boring. With these fun grammar activities, young children will look forward to lessons where they play and learn.

Fun with grammar for young students

These engaging English grammar activities typically work well for students in Grade 1 to Grade 3

1. Scavenger Hunt

We all know the kind of fun children have when they are challenged to a scavenger hunt! The excitement of looking for things and the sheer joy of succeeding is unparalleled. Now, how about introducing the same thrill when teaching nouns? So, you have told them that nouns are used to identify persons, places, or things. Now, how about turning it into a scavenger hunt where they need to find nouns beginning with each letter of the alphabet? Be ready for those squeals of laughter as children get a classmate with their name starting with the letter you indicated or drawing your attention to a particular object in the classroom. You could also add to the thrill of the game by putting a timer.

2. Simon Says

You can give a new twist to the game once you have taught the different figures of speech, such as nouns, adjectives, and verbs. All you need to do is to shout out something, for instance, “Simon says red,” and the class needs to shout back, “Simon says adjective.” This grammar game is sure to resonate with children a lot.

3. Sorting out

In yet another fun game, mix up pictures that depict adjectives, verbs, and nouns and let the class have a go at sorting them out. The one with the fastest fingers wins as he or she creates different stacks of pictures that show adjectives, verbs, and so on.

4. Capitalization

So, you have taught children when to use capital letters in a sentence. Now, it’s time to put it into practice. Divide the class into 3-4 teams depending on the class strength. Divide the board into an equal number of sections with some sentences written that need capitalization. Now, let each team have a go at it. The team that makes all the corrections in the quickest time wins!

5. Sentence Game

This activity involves forming meaningful sentences. Put together some cards with different words written on them. Now, place the cards in a jumbled order. Get each child to come up and arrange the cards in an order that makes a meaningful sentence.

6. Newspaper Activity

Give each child a newspaper and let them find nouns, verbs, or adjectives related to the lesson you want them to learn. The activity with a timer and a buzzer adds to the thrill and healthy competition!

7. Colouring sheet

Children love coloring. How about adding color fun to grammar? Get them to, amongst several pictures, choose ones that represent a verb, for instance, if that is a lesson you have just taught. This is a great activity that combines grammar and art.

We know that different students have different learning styles. Activities such as this make learning far more inclusive.

8. Grammar Flashcards

Encourage children to make some flash cards. You could once again divide the class into teams and assign nouns, verbs, and adjectives to different teams. Each team then uses the flashcards and shows and tells. This will be one fun activity that will have the entire class engaged and involved in the lesson. Needless to say, children will learn by doing far more effectively than they will through a lecture-based class.

9. Scrambled words

Children love to solve puzzles. How about breaking them into teams and getting them to unscramble words? You could give one team nouns, the other verbs, and so on. Once the unscrambling is done, each team can come and show the words they have unscrambled, adding what kind of word it is.

There you go. With such activities, children will look forward to grammar classes. The excitement and peals of laughter from the grammar class will be palpable, and many would like the vibe to flow into other subject lessons as well.

Keep watching this space for many other engaging activities. At Footprints, a chain of playschools and creches in India, we ensure that children learn while they play, and that learning is never a chore for them. It should come as no surprise that we take great pride in shaping learners for life.