Grammar for Kids

Grammar for kids can be seen as a challenge. In English, there are so many rules and exceptions that it can be frustrating to try and get them all out. However, hundreds of years of pedagogical research has revealed that one of the best ways to get children to grasp the myriad parts of speech is simply to have fun.

Grammar for Kids thru Giggling

All of the methods that make up the English language are actually rules to a complex game of communication skills. If there's one thing that kids understand, it's playing games. By putting the grammatical rules in terms they'll understand and ways that make them fun to use, the process of teaching becomes nothing but play.

An example of this technique would be using parts of speech in ways that are simply ludicrous – like a Dr. Seuss book. Instead of "Jack threw the ball," making something like "Jack ate the ball with ketchup" will make the child giggle at the image while at the same time absorbing the rules and methods in the sentence.

Competitive Drills

The other end of this spectrum is to use the common practice of drills, fill-in-the-gap exercises, and transforming sentences. This, too, can be made into a game, with teams vying for points. Turning it into a sport makes coming up to conjugate a verb as exciting for young students as their turn at bat in the playground.

The Original TV

Using the black or whiteboard to teach grammar for kids may seem old-fashioned, but that's only if it is used merely for listing words or sentences. Using it as a mutable picture palette, illustrating words, animating the concepts and using arrows, diagrams, etc. makes the concepts more comprehensible to kids who learn through imagery.

Once Upon a Time

The surest way to teach correct grammar for kids is to get them to read it, or at the very least listen to it. With a little invention, the story itself can be about the rules of grammar that are being illustrated – a young adventurous verb trying to become a gerund, for example, or a noun who gets into trouble because of the mistaken identity with a verb that sounds exactly the same.

Singalong to Remember

From "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to Barney and Raffi, the power of songs to teach kids is well known. Look online for resources in other teacher's lesson plans, or simply use the songs from books such as "Grammarchants" by Carolyn Graham.

The Power of Poetry

If music in the classroom is not your forte, don't hesitate to use the power of poetry and rhythmic reading (or call and response) to teach concepts to the kids. For example, the following limerick could be use to illustrate the concept of gerunds:

"There was a boy so good at singing,He made the bees want to stop stinging,At the hive he had planned,To reach in his hand,But that set the stingers to winging!"

Once the formula of a limerick or other poetic form is taught, the children can have fun being in groups coming up with variations on the theme. By brainstorming with each other, the comprehension of the concept will increase.

Grammar for Kids Using Total Physical Response

Total physical response is a teaching concept designed for kids who learn particularly well through kinesthetic response. For some reason, while this is used extensively in elementary and preschools, it is abandoned for subjects deemed too "academic." In fact, it is immensely useful to illustrate concepts such as tense or action.

Imagine, just as an example, a Simon says game in which instead of only doing what Simon says the children are supposed to do only the things that are in the past tense. Using the physical exertion to both stimulate the brain and body at the same time can be an immensely effective teaching method of grammar for kids.