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1st Grade English Activities

167 1st grade English activities, covering speaking and listening, parts of speech, spelling, plus 24 more topics. How teachers use these

1st Grade English Activities

167 1st grade English activities, covering speaking and listening, parts of speech, spelling, plus 24 more topics. How teachers use these

Activity
Activity1st GradeAlphabet Uppercase Letter Matching Activity

This alphabet uppercase letter matching activity has preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade children match 26 letter cards to a game board. A practice page and answer key are included for easy letter recognition fun.

Activity
Activity1st GradeRhyming Words Matching Activity

This rhyming words matching activity lets PreK to 1st grade children match picture cards that rhyme, like cat and hat. A practice page and answer key included.

Activity
Activity1st GradeSingular Plural Noun Go Fish Activity

Play this singular plural noun go fish activity with 1st through 3rd grade students to match one and more than one with -s and -es. Answer key included.

Activity
Activity1st GradeNoun, Adjective, and Verb Activity

A noun, adjective, and verb activity for 1st to 3rd grade: sort 24 popcorn word cards into three buckets, then practice in sentences. Answer key included for easy checking.

Activity
Activity1st GradePopcorn Blends Activity

In this popcorn blends activity, K-2nd Grade children spin a blend, sort 12 picture cards into popcorn boxes and fill in a practice page, with an answer key included for quick checking.

Activity
Activity1st GradePosition Words Activity

In this position words activity, preschool to 1st grade children match butterfly pictures to above, below, next to, in front of, and behind. Answer key included.

Activity
Activity1st GradeDescribing Words Activity

This describing words activity has 1st and 2nd Grade students match 8 picture cards with 16 adjective cards, with a recording sheet, practice page and answer key included.

Activity
Activity1st GradeDescribing Nouns Adjective Activity

This describing nouns adjective activity has 1st and 2nd Grade partners describe picture cards with adjectives and play a guessing game. Answer key included.

Activity
Activity1st GradePast Present Future Tense Activity

This past present future tense activity lets 1st to 4th grade students sort twelve verb cards by tense and write verbs in the right form. Answer key included for easy checking.

Activity
Activity1st GradeWord Work Activity

This word work activity lets kindergarten and 1st grade students build CVC words with color-coded consonant and vowel tiles, then write each word. An answer key is included for quick checking.

Activity
Activity1st GradeDear Valentine Activity

This dear valentine activity has K-2nd grade students pick heart word cards for family and school helpers and spell each word on a Valentine card. Answer key included.

Activity
Activity1st GradeNoun BINGO

This noun bingo activity has 24 picture cards and 4 boards for Preschool to 2nd Grade, plus a practice page with an answer key included, so kids learn nouns while they play.

Activity
Activity1st GradeCapitalize It Activity

Using Capitalize It Activity, students sort the topic cards into Do Capitalize and Don't Capitalize categories.

Activity
Activity1st GradePlurals Activity

Using Plurals Activity, students add the proper word ending to make a plural noun for correct usage in writing.

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Activity1st GradeSnowman Contractions Activity

Play this snowman contractions activity as a memory game: 1st to 3rd grade students match two-word Mitten Cards to Snowman contraction cards and record each pair. Answer key included.

Activity
Activity1st GradeLet's Talk Classroom Speaking Activity

This Let's Talk classroom speaking activity gives kindergarten through 3rd grade students role cards, topic cards and a self-check for small group talks. A practice page and answer key are included.

Activity
Activity1st GradeBlends, Digraphs, and Trigraphs Activity

Using the Blends, Digraphs, and Trigraphs Activity, students create lists of words that have beginning and ending blends, digraphs, or trigraphs.

Activity
Activity1st GradeGuess Who Matching Game Activity

UsingGuess Who Matching Game Activity, students take turns asking questions to figure out their partner's mystery person.

Activity
Activity1st GradeCool Cat Sentences Activity

This cool cat sentences activity has K-2nd Grade children sort telling, asking and exciting sentence cards by their end marks. Answer key included, so practicing punctuation feels like a game.

Activity
Activity1st GradeConsonant Sounds Activity

Practice beginning sounds with this consonant sounds activity for Preschool through 1st Grade. Kids stack picture scoops on letter cones, then finish a practice page. Answer key included.

From our teachers' playbook

Words with jobs to do

What do 1st graders learn in English?

First grade is when kids discover that words have jobs. Nouns name people, places and things; verbs show action; adjectives describe; and pronouns like he, she and they stand in for nouns. Kids learn to write complete sentences with a capital letter and an end mark, use common nouns and proper nouns, and match verbs to their subjects: he runs, they run. They sort words into categories, clap syllables, and use context clues and pictures to figure out new words. The click is when a 1st grader points at a word and says, "That's a verb! You can do it!"

Our favorite ways to teach 1st grade English

First graders love to sort, act and play with words. These moves use all three.

Person, place or thing?

Give kids a pile of picture and word cards and three bins labeled person, place and thing. They sort the nouns, then pick one from each bin and make a sentence. Sorting turns an abstract idea into a hands-on job.

Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.

Noun Sorting WorksheetTry it withNoun Sorting WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Can you do it?

To find verbs, ask "Can you do it?" Call out words like jump, chair and sing, and kids act out only the verbs. Sitting still for nouns is the funny part.

Why it works: in a well-known study, a few short sessions of a simple number board game measurably boosted young children's number skills (Ramani and Siegler, 2008).

Identifying Action Words WorksheetTry it withIdentifying Action Words WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Swap in a pronoun

Write "Maya likes cats. Maya has two cats." Read it aloud and ask what sounds funny. Model replacing the second Maya with she. Then kids fix a few repetitive sentences of their own.

Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).

Pronoun WorksheetTry it withPronoun WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

1st grade English: your questions

What grammar does a 1st grader learn?

First graders learn nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns, write complete sentences, capitalize names and the first word in a sentence, and use end punctuation. They also learn to use common nouns and proper nouns.

How do I teach nouns and verbs to a 1st grader?

Use simple tests. A noun is something you can see or touch, like a dog or a park. A verb is something you can do, like run or jump. Acting out verbs makes it stick.

What should a 1st grader be able to write?

By the end of 1st grade, most kids write a few sentences on a topic with capitals and end punctuation, using sight words and spelling other words by sound.

How can I help my 1st grader with English at home?

Play "I spy a noun" in the car, ask them to describe things with adjectives, and have them write short notes, lists or cards. Everyday writing builds real skills.