Magnetic Poetry

Use magnetic poetry to teach or reinforce concepts.

Nouns / Verbs
Sort the magnets into piles of nouns and verbs.  Next, try to pair nouns and verbs into combinations that make sense (or not!).

Nouns / Adjectives.  
Repeat Nouns/Verbs above, using adjectives instead of verbs.

Pronouns
Have the child write a small poem.  Use the method from Nouns/Verbs above if it helps get him started.  Rearrange and replace some of the words with pronouns (see images below).

Subject / Predicate
Create sentences with the magnets.  Here is one idea:

(This game coincides with the Subject 1 lesson, and combines ideas from all of the above.)

1. Pick out a few nouns and verbs; pair them up.
2. Arrange the pairs into a sequence.
3. Add in articles and adjectives.*
4. Add direct objects if desired.
5. Rearrange as needed to create a poem.
6. Copy the poem, remembering to capitalize the first letter and add a period at the end.

*I taught the Subject 1 lesson before Articles and Adjectives.  However, I still let my son add them in, with a brief explanation.  When we get to those lessons, they should be short because he will already have been exposed to them many times.

Pair up 3 nouns and 3 verbs

Add articles and conjunctions

Add adjectives. 

Have fun rearranging as desired, inserting
pronouns if it makes sense.
Copywork for this poem.

Grammar Bingo

Create bingo cards in 3x3 or 4x4 grids.  Fill the squares with the words noun, verb, adjective, etc.  Compile all the cards created for other games.  The players draw cards, and play them on their bingo card on a matching word.  The first person to have 3 (or 4) across or down is the winner.

Examples of Grammar Cards to purchase or you can create your own.

Collections

Help your child make "collections" of the different parts of speech.

Ways to Make Collections

• gather a pillowcases full of nouns
• find nouns in a room
• name nouns in a certain category (person, place, thing)
• name nouns/verbs in a certain location (kitchen, bathroom)
• name nouns/verbs in a certain activity (basketball, swimming)
• name nouns/verbs/adjectives that start with a certain letter
• name adjectives that describe a certain object
• name direct objects that go with a verb (lick + ice cream, + lollipops, + paws)

A box of nouns collected by the kids

Things To Do with Collections*

*Depends on the skill level of the child

• draw a picture
• create a book of pictures (Book of Nouns, Book of Verbs, etc)
• dictate list to mom
• copy/write list
• create a book of lists
• write a poem using the list
• write a story using the list

A list of nouns as dictated to Mom

I Spy & 20 Questions

I Spy and 20 Questions are guessing games.  They both help reinforce the concept of adjectives.  I Spy is limited to objects in the same room; 20 Questions can be any object in the known universe.

Basic: "I Spy"

The spy-er says, "I spy, with my little eye, something that is ...." and names the color of the object (noun).  The guesser responds with, "Is it ...?" and names another adjective.  The guesser may guess the name of the object when she has enough clues.

Advanced:  "20 Questions"

One person chooses an object (noun).  The guesser asks questions in the form of "Is it ....? [an adjective], or, "Is it ....?" [a noun].  The questions must have Yes/No answers.  The guesser tries to figure out the object in 20 Questions or less.

  

Card Sorting

Compile all notecards created for various games.  Sort into piles by type (nouns, verbs, etc).

• Cards for sorting into noun and verb piles.
• Cards for matching adjectives with nouns.

You could also turn this into a game of "Go Fish," creating sets of matching grammar cards (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.)

Advanced: sort cards by subtype (action verbs / linking verbs, common nouns / proper nouns, etc).

More Examples of Grammar Cards to purchase or you can create your own.

Charades and Simon Says

The traditional game of charades can be modified for the parts of speech.  Alternatively, the cards can be drawn by the parent and read aloud in a game of Simon Says.

Verbs
Create cards of verbs.  Draw one and act out.
(run, jump, kick, swing, spin, etc)

I printed these free verb flash cards for our verb game.  About half of them are easy for the kids to act out, and they have words and pictures so my preschoolers can play, too.

Verb - Adverb
Create cards of verbs and adverbs.  Draw one of each and act out.
(jump slowly, spin quickly, etc)

Noun - Verb
Create cards of verbs and household nouns.  Draw one of each and act out.
(pencil jumps, carrot spins, etc)

Noun - Preposition
Create cards of prepositions and household nouns.  Draw one preposition and two nouns.  (pencil ON the chair, hand WITH the toilet, etc)

Examples of Grammar Cards to purchase or you can create your own.

Mad Libs

Create your own easy Mad Libs from favorite books.  Make a copy of a page from the book.  Without revealing the story, ask your child to name some nouns.  Replace the nouns in the story with the new nouns and read the story.

Add verbs, adjectives, etc, as you learn those parts of speech.

Advanced: Traditional Mad Libs
Mad Libs
Mad Libs Junior*.
Star Wars Mad Libs
Lego Star Wars Mad Libs.
Create your own online using websites like Wacky Web Tales and Crazy Tales.

*Mad Libs Junior provides word choices for the child; some of the choices may be "potty talk."

Lego Diagramming

Use Legos to identify the parts of speech in sentences.  Choose a color for each part (nouns, verbs, etc).  Practice placing the Legos on copywork to identify the parts of speech.   Start with nouns, and add verbs, adjectives, etc, as you learn them.

Traditional Montessori Grammar Colors:

Noun (black)
Verb (red)
Pronoun (green)
Article (light brown)
Adjective (dark brown)
Adverb (pink)
Preposition (purple)*
Conjunction (yellow)
Interjection (blue)

*We don't have any purple legos, so we substitute grey.

Lego diagramming with nouns and verbs.

Grammar Farm

This game is a traditional Montessori teaching tool.  Perform an internet search on "Montessori Grammar Farm" for pictures and examples.  If you do not own toy farm animals, feel free to use any of your child's favorite play sets (Legos, trains, dollhouse, Littlest Pet Shop, etc).

Nouns

Create labels for different nouns in the play set.  Set the labels out in a play scene.  Give your child the toys, and have her set the toys on their correct label.

(Farm: pig, cow, barn. grass, tractor, farmer, etc)

Verbs

If you have noun labels already created, set those out in the play scene.  Create labels for different verbs that could be in the play set.  Give your child the toys and the verb labels; have her set the toys on their correct noun label, and add an appropriate (or silly) verb label.

(Farm: barks, runs, climbs, moos, oinks, etc)

Adjectives
Set up the play scene as describe in the Nouns and Verbs sections above.  Create labels for different adjectives that describe things in the play scene.   Let your child place the adjectives in appropriate (or silly) places.

(Farm: pink, red, green, slow, old, tired, etc)

Articles

Prepositions

Examples of Grammar Cards to purchase or you can create your own.