How to Teach Nouns and Verbs

Nouns and verbs are the foundation of every sentence, and once your child can spot them, reading and writing both get easier. The good news is that these two parts of speech are everywhere, so you don’t need a workbook to teach them. Below is a step-by-step plan, the mistakes to watch for, and games that make nouns and verbs practice feel like play.

What are nouns and verbs?

A noun is a word that names a person, place, or thing. Examples: mom, school, pencil, dog. Some nouns name ideas you can’t touch, like love or dream, but start with the concrete ones first.

A verb is a word that shows action or a state of being. Action verbs are easy: run, jump, eat, throw. Being verbs are trickier because they don’t show movement: is, are, was, were, am. In the sentence “The cat is hungry,” is is the verb.

These concepts map to Common Core standards:

• 1st grade (L.1.1.b): use common, proper, and possessive nouns.
• 1st grade (L.1.1.c): use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future.
• 2nd grade (L.2.1.b): form and use regular and irregular past-tense verbs.

Step 1: Teach nouns first (the naming words)

Nouns are easier because you can point to them. Start here:

1. Explain the rule: “A noun is a naming word. It names a person, place, or thing.”
2. Point out examples: Walk around the house and name five nouns you see: table, chair, window, cup, plant.
3. Practice in sentences: Read a sentence from a favorite book and ask, “What are the naming words?” In “The dog ran to the park,” the nouns are dog and park.
4. Sort words: Write ten words on index cards (mix nouns and non-nouns) and have your child sort them into a “naming words” pile.

Once your child can spot nouns without hesitating, move on to verbs.

Step 2: Teach verbs (the action and being words)

Verbs are harder because some show action you can see (jump, throw) and some don’t (is, seem). Start with action verbs:

1. Explain the rule: “A verb is a doing word. It tells what someone or something does.”
2. Act it out: Call out action verbs (hop, clap, spin, wiggle) and have your child do them. Then reverse: your child acts and you guess the verb.
3. Find verbs in sentences: In “The cat sleeps on the couch,” the verb is sleeps because it tells what the cat does.
4. Introduce being verbs: Explain that is, are, was, were, am are special verbs that don’t show action but tell what something is. In “I am happy,” am is the verb.

How to practice nouns and verbs together

Once your child knows both, the real learning comes from sorting them in sentences:

1. Pick a simple sentence: “The bird flies.”
2. Ask two questions:
   • What is the naming word? (bird)
   • What is the doing word? (flies)
3. Repeat with five sentences from a book or make up your own.

This two-question routine is what builds fluency. Do it daily for a week and your child will start spotting nouns and verbs on their own.

The 3 mistakes kids make most (and how to fix them)

Fun games and activities for nouns and verbs practice at home

Practice sticks when it feels like a game:

• Noun scavenger hunt: Set a timer for two minutes and see how many nouns your child can name in the room.
• Verb charades: Write ten action verbs on slips of paper, draw one, and act it out. The other person guesses the verb.
• Sentence building: Give your child five noun cards (cat, ball, mom, tree, car) and five verb cards (jumps, is, runs, throws, sleeps). Have them build silly sentences by picking one of each.
• Label the house: Stick a noun card on objects (door, lamp, table) and a verb card for what you do with it (open, turn on, eat at).
• Story nouns and verbs: After reading a page, ask your child to name three nouns and three verbs from what you just read.

Keep sessions to five or ten minutes. Short and daily beats long and once a week.

How to know your child is ready to move on

Your child has mastered nouns and verbs when they can:

• Identify the nouns and verbs in a simple sentence without help.
• Explain what a noun does (names) and what a verb does (shows action or being).
• Use the question tests (“Can I see it?” for nouns, “Can I do it?” for verbs) on their own.
• Write a sentence and label which words are nouns and which are verbs.

When those feel solid, the natural next steps are adjectives (words that describe nouns) and adverbs (words that describe verbs), which build on the same sorting skills.

The easiest way to give your child practice

For most parents, the hardest part of teaching nouns and verbs isn’t the concept. It’s coming up with enough sentences to practice on and keeping your child willing to do it. That’s where Octolearn helps: describe the skill (“identifying nouns and verbs in sentences”), and it builds a grade-matched practice set with read-aloud support, a hint and a second try on every question, and stars that keep kids coming back. Try it free and see how much faster nouns and verbs practice becomes a habit.