🏷️ Parts of Speech for Kids: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs
Parts of speech for kids made simple: your child reads a short sentence and taps the correct word. There are four free activities here - find the naming word (noun), the action word (verb), the adjective and the adverb. Each one works on a phone, tablet or computer, and every set can also be printed as a worksheet for classroom or homework practice. Sentences are short, friendly and built around everyday things children already know, so beginners can start straight away.
What these parts of speech activities are
Each activity shows a short, easy sentence such as The happy puppy runs quickly. Your child's job is to tap one word - the naming word, the action word, the describing word or the word that tells how something happens. A gentle tick or a second chance follows every answer, so children learn by trying rather than by being marked wrong. There are four sets on this page:
- Find the Naming Word (Noun) - people, animals, places and things.
- Find the Action Word (Verb) - run, jump, eat, write, sing.
- Find the Adjective - describing words like big, soft, red, sleepy.
- Find the Adverb - how words like slowly, loudly, neatly, often.
Everything on this page is free, with no sign-up needed to start playing.
Skills children build
Spotting parts of speech is the step between reading words and understanding sentences. With regular short practice, children:
- Learn the four core word classes and the questions that identify them (Who or what? What is happening? What kind? How?).
- Read sentences more carefully instead of guessing from one or two words.
- Write longer, clearer sentences by adding adjectives and adverbs on purpose.
- Build grammar vocabulary that school exams and worksheets use.
- Grow confidence in speaking, because they notice how sentences are put together.
Pair this with Sentence Builder so children move from recognising a word type to using it in their own writing.
How to play online and how to print
To play online, open an activity and tap the word you think is correct. Children can repeat a set as many times as they like, and each replay mixes the sentences so answers are not memorised. The layout fits small screens, so a phone works just as well as a laptop.
To use the printable version, choose the print option on the activity and print on plain A4 paper. On paper, children circle or underline the target word with a pencil, which is useful for homework, revision folders and classroom group work. Printed sheets are also handy for screen-free days, travel and quiet reading time. Black-and-white printing keeps ink use low for teachers preparing a whole class set.
Ideas by age
Ages 2-3: formal grammar is too early, but the ideas are not. Say a short sentence aloud and ask your toddler to point to the thing in the picture - that is a naming word in action. Clap when you say an action word. Keep it playful and spoken, and try Vocabulary Builder for simple word-picture practice.
Ages 4-5: start with nouns only. Ask, "Which word is a thing you can touch or see?" Once nouns feel easy, move to action words. Two or three sentences a day is plenty at this stage, and printed sheets suit little hands that enjoy circling answers.
Ages 6-8: work through all four sets, then mix them. Ask your child to say why a word is an adjective and to replace it with another one. Challenge older children to rewrite a sentence using a new adverb, then check their spelling with Spelling Practice.
Tips for parents
- Teach one word type at a time. Mixing nouns and verbs in week one usually confuses beginners.
- Use question prompts. "Who or what?" finds the noun. "What is happening?" finds the verb. "What kind?" finds the adjective. "How?" finds the adverb.
- Hunt for words at home. Find five naming words in the kitchen or three action words in the park.
- Keep sessions short. Eight to ten minutes of focused practice beats a long, tiring session.
- Praise the thinking, not only the right answer. Ask your child to explain the choice.
Tips for teachers
Project an activity on the class screen and let children vote on the answer before revealing it - this creates good discussion about tricky words. Print the same set as an exit ticket at the end of the lesson, or as a differentiated task where early finishers add their own sentences. Colour-coding helps too: nouns in blue, verbs in red, adjectives in green, adverbs in orange, used consistently across the term. For follow-up practice, the sheets work well alongside sentence completion and short reading passages, so children apply grammar inside real text rather than in isolation.