Explain verb conjugation as changing a "doing word" (verb) to fit who is doing the action (person) and when they are doing it (time), like how "I walk," "you walk," and "she walks" are different forms of the verb "to walk". Use action-oriented examples and visual aids like charts to show the changes for different subjects and tenses, and play games that focus on changing verbs with subjects.

​

1. Define "Verb" and "Conjugation" Simply

    What's a verb? Start by explaining that verbs are "doing words" or "action words". 

What is conjugation? Explain that conjugation is like changing the verb's "outfit" or "form" to fit the sentence. 

2. Use Relatable Examples

    Action-focused verbs:
        "I jump.": "You jump." "He jumps." 

"We eat.": "She eats." 

"To be" verbs: Use a verb like "to be" to show how it changes for different subjects:

    I am: happy 

You are: happy 
He/She is: happy 
We are: happy 
They are: happy 

3. Focus on Subject and Time

    Who is doing the action?
    Show how the verb changes depending on "I," "you," "he/she/it," or "we/they". 

When is the action happening?

    Now: "She walks." (Present) 

Before: "She walked." (Past, with -ed for regular verbs) 
Later: "She will walk." (Future, using "will") 

4. Make it Interactive

    Play games:
    Create games where children have to change a verb to match a specific subject or tense. 

Use visual aids:

    Draw simple picture charts showing how a verb changes for different people or time, such as a boy running and a girl running. 

    Use different colored markers for the verb parts that change and the parts that stay the same. 

Act it out:
Have children act out the verbs and then change their actions to show different subjects (e.g., one child hops, then they all hop together). 

 

To explain verb conjugation to kids,

start with the concept of verbs as "doing words." Use relatable, hands-on activities that show how verbs change to agree with who is doing the action (the subject) and when the action is happening (the tense). 

​

--- --- --- 

​

Step 1: Introduce verbs as "doing words"

Before explaining conjugation, kids need to understand what a verb is.

• Action Charades: Have kids act out different action words like jump, sing, run, and sleep.

• Verb Hunt: Read a short story or go outside and have kids shout out all the action words they see people doing. 

• ​

Step 2: Explain that verbs are shape-shifters

Explain that the verb changes its "shape" or form to fit the sentence correctly. Use a playful metaphor to introduce the idea of a verb changing its appearance.

• The Verb Time Machine: Draw or use a cutout of a time machine. Explain that you can put a verb like "walk" into the machine and it comes out differently depending on the time.

  • Yesterday: The word walk comes out as walked.

  • Right Now: The word walk comes out as walk.

  • Tomorrow: The word walk comes out as will walk. 

• • ​

Step 3: Use visuals for subject-verb agreement

To explain that verbs must change for who is doing the action, use visuals to represent different subjects.

• Subject and Verb "LEGO" Match: Get some LEGO bricks. On one brick, write a pronoun like He. On another brick, write a conjugated verb like walks. Have kids snap the correct subject-verb pairs together. This is especially good for showing the difference between "I walk" and "He walks".

• "Conjugation Station" Relay Race: Create four "train" lines for the four different pronouns (I, you, we, they). Give a verb to the first kid in each line. The kids pass the verb down the line, and the last kid has to conjugate it correctly for the pronoun of their "train". 

• ​

Step 4: Act it out to show irregular verbs

Irregular verbs don't follow the normal pattern of adding -ed for the past tense. Use a game to help kids memorize these exceptions.

• Irregular Verb Match: Create pairs of flashcards with verbs like grow and grew or eat and ate. You can use craft sticks and colored dots to make it a self-checking matching game. Have kids practice making matches.

• Irregular Verb Bingo: Create Bingo cards with different past tense irregular verbs, like ate, ran, and saw. Call out the base form of the verb, and kids have to find and cover the correct conjugated form. 

• ​

Step 5: Put it all together with creative projects

Once kids understand the basics, have them apply their knowledge in a fun, creative way.

• "Verb Rainbow": Have kids draw a cloud and write a verb like play inside it. Then, have them draw or glue rainbow strips coming out of the cloud. On each strip, they can write a different conjugation, like played, plays, and will play.

• Storytelling with Verbs: Start a story with a simple sentence and a list of verbs. Take turns with the kids adding to the story, using one of the verbs from the list. This lets them practice conjugating verbs in a narrative context

​

​--- --- --- 

​​

​​