For a fun homeschool activity, make a noun mini-book with your primary-age children (K-3rd) to introduce the concept of nouns.
What Are Nouns?
Talk about nouns with your kids and discuss the three main noun categories.
Common Nouns
Common nouns name people, places and things. Unless they begin a sentence, common nouns are not capitalized. Examples: man, game, cereal, coffee shop, country
Proper Nouns
Proper nouns name specific things, and must be capitalized at all times. Examples: President Kennedy, Monopoly, Cheerios. Starbucks, Italy
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns (also called group nouns) describe a set or group of people, animals or things. Examples: army, family, audience, flock (of sheep), bunch (of flowers), school (of fish), team (of baseball players)
Note: Making a noun plural does not make it a collective noun. The word cows is a plural noun / the word herd (of cows) is a collective noun.
DID YOU KNOW?
Collective nouns can be funny when they relate to animals and birds! See some examples here.
Make a Noun Mini-Book
Gather some simple supplies and make a noun mini-book together!
- Fold a 9” x 12” sheet of construction paper in half.
- On the first page, add a title: “My Book of Nouns.” Below the title, help your child write a definition of common noun, proper noun, and collective noun.
- Title the inside left page “Some Common Nouns,” the inside right page “Some Proper Nouns,” and the back page “Some Collective Nouns.”
- Once the children have labeled their mini-book, give them a few old magazines or catalogs. Ask them to cut out five pictures for each category, glue them in place on the appropriate page, and label the picture with its name.
WriteShop Primary, an early-elementary writing curriculum for homeschoolers, is filled with games and activities that help you introduce important skills to your youngest writers.