Learning nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech can seem boring to kids. It’s one of those basic skills that they need to master grammar, but it doesn’t always seem like much fun. For years, teachers have used Mad Libs to spice it up, but there are plenty of other engaging parts of speech activities out there to try. Here are some of our favorites.
1. Color a parts of speech picture.
Coloring pages are really popular parts of speech activities, with hundreds of them available online. Try this one for free at the site below.
Learn more: A World of Language Learners
2. Make parts of speech signs.
Cut out the large letters and break your class into group by parts of speech. Have each group fill the letters with definitions and examples of their assigned part. Hang up their creations as part of your classroom decor!
Learn more: Panicked Teacher/Instagram
3. Play parts of speech bingo.
This free printable bingo game can be used over and over again in your classroom. Use it with vocabulary or spelling words, or terms from your current lessons in other subjects too.
Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me
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4. Re-purpose a set of UNO cards.
Replace the numbers on a set of UNO cards with words instead. The game play is the same, but instead of numbers, players much put down a matching color or part of speech.
Learn more: Best Teacher Resources Blog
5. Build sentences with LEGO bricks.
Sort LEGO bricks by color, then write words on them using masking tape. Use one color for all the nouns, another for verbs, and so on. Then, build sentences with the bricks, identifying each part of speech as you go.
Learn more: There’s Just One Mommy
6. Throw darts and give examples.
Snag a Velcro dart board at the dollar store and label the different sections with parts of speech. Kids throw a ball or dart, and have to give an example of the part they land on in order to get the points. Fun!
Learn more: The Kinder Teacher/Instagram
7. Face off in tic-tac-toe.
Label the parts of a tic-tac-toe board with various parts of speech. To get the square, the player must give an example of that type.
Learn more: Teacher Thrive
8. Bag it up.
This is really several parts of speech activities in one. Label a series of bags with the parts of speech, and have your class define each one as you go. Have students write a series of words on index cards (try using vocab or spelling words), then sort them into the correct bags. Finally, pull a word from each bag one at a time and ask a student to use it in a sentence.
Learn more: Education.com
9. Dress up a sentence.
Take a very basic sentence and dress it up using various parts of speech. Teachers and kids both love this one, since it really emphasizes practical application. Get a free printable worksheet to use with this here.
Photo: Teach Starter/Instagram
10. Use parts of speech clip cards.
Parts of speech activities like this one are perfect for independent learning centers. Visit the link for a free printable set of cards.
Learn more: This Reading Mama
11. Hunt and sort eggs.
Fill plastic eggs with a variety of words and hide them around your room (or even the playground). Send kids out to find them, then open and sort them into the correct bucket. (Find more fun plastic egg activities for the classroom here.)
Learn more: For the Love of First Grade
12. Go on a parts of speech scavenger hunt.
Grab a stack of old magazines and send students on a hunt to find the various parts of speech. They can cut them out and glue them to posters to hang around the room.
Learn more: Miss Gorton’s Class/Instagram
13. Add a grammar twist to Jenga.
Use colored Jenga blocks to help kids review the parts of speech. Get the full rules and free printables at the link below.
Learn more: Teaching With Jennifer Findlay
14. Learn the Parts of Speech Poem.
This anonymously-written poem has been around a long time. Have your students learn it, and they can use it as a guide during all sorts of parts of speech activities.
Learn more: Teaching With Miss Cooper/Instagram
15. Play Hangman with parts of speech.
Put a grammar spin on Hangman by giving students a clue about the part of speech being spelled out.
Learn more: Crafting Connections
16. Make your morning message more meaningful.
Take a few moments to analyze your morning message (or any other memo or handout kids receive or read) to look for various parts of speech.
Learn more: Learning Like Littles
17. Match up parts of speech dominoes.
Make free printable word dominoes, then match a part of speech with an example word on each turn.
Learn more: Homeschool Giveaways & Freebies
18. Sort magnetic poetry words and make sentences.
If you’ve got magnetic poetry words on hand, they’re ideal for parts of speech activities! Sort them by type, then make sentences that fit specific patterns (e.g. “article + adjective + noun + helping verb + verb” etc.)
19. Sort vocabulary words with a free printable.
Use our free customizable printable to sort vocabulary words from your current lessons. Grab it here.
Looking for more ways to mix up your grammar lessons? Try these 6 Ways to Make Teaching Grammar Fun.
If you’re tired of hearing kids grumble when it’s time to talk poetry, check out these entertaining Poetry Games and Activities.
