Fun Ways to Teach the Parts of Speech

I like to make learning the parts of speech fun! During the elementary years, I teach my kids a few parts of speech each school year and then we take time practicing what we've learned.


This week my kids have been learning conjunctions. The first thing that pops into my mind when I hear the word "conjunction" is the song Conjunction Junction, What's Your Function....Am I the only one? I grew up listening to that song during commercial breaks back in the day when cartoons were only on Saturday mornings. For those younger readers who have no clue what I am writing about ☺, it is from the Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar



So of course I shared that song and video with my children. Next, I read Just Me & 6,000 Rats: A Tale of Conjunctions to my kids.

It's a very cute story that uses conjunctions. My kids and I love the Language Adventures best-selling series since it uses silly stories and funny illustrations to teach grammar concepts. You already know how I enjoy making learning fun and this series achieves just that!

Other titles in Language Adventures series by Rick Walton are:

I also had my kids memorize some of the most common conjunctions using this mnemonic trick.
This poster is from my Mnemonics Packet, which includes the most common mnemonic devices I have used in twenty years of teaching.


When I teach any grammar or mechanics lesson, my main objective is for my kids to understand how to apply the skill to their writing. I honestly could care less if my children know how to diagram a sentence. On a side note, did you know diagramming sentences is no longer taught in most high schools and colleges? In addition, diagramming sentences is not even on the ACT or SAT. I just learned this information last year when my son was preparing for college. I was shocked!

My purpose in teaching conjunctions this week was to show them how to combine sentences using them and to learn the rules on when to use a comma before conjunctions in writing. This is a BIG writing skill that I have seen kids miss continuously when I taught school and when I tutored elementary children.

So now that my children understand what conjunctions are, here comes the real-life application- teaching when to use commas correctly before conjunctions. I searched on-line for some free printables to practice this skill. Here is an example of one I found at www.education.com.


In future writing assignments, I will be reminding my children of these lessons on conjunctions.

Want to know my favorites site to practice grammar skills? These are fantastic for practicing parts of speech!

Create your own Mad Libs at www.itsamadlibsworld.com!


I'm just warning you ahead of time. The game Grammar Ninja is VERY addicting with its video-game style, so you may end up playing it as must as your kids. I know one of my best friends became hooked.

In my 14 years of homeschooling, I've never purchased a grammar or mechanics curriculum or workbook. {Click Here} to read why I avoid using most language arts curriculum. This post is an example of how I teach grammar skills to my kids. I make our lessons hands-on with lots of opportunities to practice the skills they learned. That is my goal in teaching grammar and mechanics- creating strong writers with a passion for writing, not mastering a curriculum.

I can't wait to share with you the spooktacular ways my kids are learning onomatopoeia next week.

This writing assignment is part of 101 Ways to Make Writing FUN!
Until next time, enjoy!
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