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Home » Activities » Compound Words Activity for Preschoolers

Compound Words Activity for Preschoolers

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure .

Creating original materials was one of my favorite parts of Montessori training. One material I created is within the Blue Series and involves one of my favorite concepts to teach kids – Compound Words.

Kids will have fun learning about compound words with this activity!

Compound words can be a lot of fun for kids. Think about it. My five-year-old giggles when he puts two words like “butter” and “fly” together to make “butterfly”.

“Mom, how can butter fly?”

Jokes are a big hit with kids at this age and compound words play right into that love!

Putting two words together like “butter” and “fly” is more than simply fun, the exercise is a great one for reading comprehension and writing. Children will learn a great deal from having fun. Isn’t that the way it should be?

What is a Compound Word?

So, we have established that kids have a blast learning compound words. Wordplay, in general, is always a big hit. I absolutely love introducing this blue series lesson to kids.

How exciting to learn that when you combine two words not only do you have a NEW word but you have a word with a COMPLETELY different meaning!

Mind blow, right?

Young child at the library

There are actually three types of compound words. First we have open compound words, such as school bus, then a closed compound word, such as applesauce, and finally a hypenated compound word, such as well-being.

Compound Words List

I put together this list of compound words examples. And, you know? It was a blast gathering these examples for kids!

  • airplane
  • airport
  • antfarm
  • applesauce
  • armpit
  • arrowhead
  • babysitter
  • backbone
  • backpack
  • ballpark
  • ballfield
  • ballgame
  • barefoot
  • barnyard
  • baseball
  • basketball
  • bathtub
  • beachball
  • bedroom
  • blackberry
  • blackbird
  • blackboard
  • blackhole
  • blueberry
  • bluebird
  • bluegrass
  • bobcat
  • bodyguard
  • bookcase
  • bookmark
  • bookshelf
  • bookstore
  • bookworm
  • bowtie
  • boxcar
  • brainwash
  • bulldog
  • bullfrog
  • bulldozer
  • bunkbed
  • buttercup

Butterfly

  • butterfly
  • buttermilk
  • campfire
  • campground
  • cardboard
  • carpool
  • cartwheel
  • catfish
  • caveman
  • chalkboard
  • cheeseburger
  • cheesecake
  • chopsticks
  • classroom
  • clipboard
  • copycat
  • courthouse
  • cowboy
  • cowgirl
  • crabapple
  • daydream
  • daybreak
  • doghouse
  • doorway
  • doorknob
  • downstairs
  • downtown
  • dragonfly
  • drawbridge
  • drawstring
  • driveway
  • drumstick
  • dugout
  • dustpan
  • dustbunny
  • earache
  • eardrum
  • earring
  • earthquake
  • earthwarm
  • eggnog
  • eggshell
  • eggplant
  • evergreen
  • everyone
  • everything
  • eyeball
  • eyebrow
  • eyeglasses
  • eyelash
  • eyelids
  • fingernail
  • fingerprint
  • firecracker
  • firefly
  • firehose
  • firehouse
  • fireman
  • fireplace
  • firepole
  • fireproof
  • fishbowl
  • fishtail
  • flagpole
  • flashlight
  • football
  • footstep
  • footprint
  • golfball
  • groundhog
  • gumball
  • hairband
  • hairclip
  • haircut
  • hammerhead
  • handbag
  • handcuff
  • handshake
  • headlight
  • headlamp
  • homesick
  • honeybee
  • honeycomb
  • honeydew
  • honeymoon
  • honeycomb
  • hotdog
  • housefly

Housefly

  • humpback
  • iceberg
  • junkyard
  • laptop
  • lapdog
  • lightbulb
  • lighthouse
  • mailbox
  • mailman
  • matchbox
  • milkshake
  • moonlight
  • notebook
  • notecard
  • pancake
  • pinwheel
  • playground
  • playhouse
  • policeman
  • policecar
  • ponytail
  • quicksand
  • railroad
  • rainbow
  • raincoat
  • rattlesnake
  • rearend
  • rowboat
  • sailboat
  • skyscraper
  • spaceship
  • starfish
  • starlight
  • stoplight
  • stopwatch
  • sunflower
  • sunglasses
  • sunshine
  • tablespoon
  • tailbone
  • teacup
  • teaspoon
  • topgun
  • tophat
  • tugboat
  • turntable
  • upstairs
  • wallflower
  • wallpaper
  • watermelon
  • wheelbarrow
  • wristband
  • zookeeper

Compound Words Activity

This language activity is great because pre-readers can participate in the activity by finding the puzzle pieces that fit. Simply download this document, print on card stock, and cut. Laminate before cutting for safe keeping.

compound_words_post_feature

Invite the child to the activity. Place one word (or one half of the compound word) on the left side of a mat or table. You can create a column to the left. The other puzzle pieces can be left in a pile for the child to access to find a match.

compound words activity for kids

Materials

  • Blue Cardstock
  • Printer & Printer Paper
  • Laminator
  • Scissors
  • Images from Computer (or elsewhere)
  • Compound Words

materials_compound_words

There are images on one side (for control of error and for younger children) and the words (for older children) on the other side of the card.

Approach

  • Search for images that create compound words (Consider this step done. Here is my compound word images printable)
  • Type or write the words that match the images
  • Print out

head_light_approach

  • Cut cardstock into cards sized to your liking
  • Cut words and images out

tooth_pick_images

  • Glue words on one side of the card and images on the other side
  • Laminate

image_word

  • Cut the cards in half in various “puzzle” patterns with one image/word on one side and one image/word on the other
  • Introduce to your child

tooth_pick_post

The control of error is the puzzle pieces. I created each compound word to fit together with two puzzle pieces.

Use Concrete Objects & Images

My goal initially is to use these cards with concrete objects. I tried to choose compound words that would lend to matching with objects like “butterfly”. I can find a “butter” object and a “fly” object to use initially.

Compound Words Activity Collage

Compound Word Activity Extensions

There are many possibilities with this activity. Here are a few ideas for you to explore with your kids!

  • Create an art work using one (or more) of the compound words
  • Illustrate and write a story using the words
  • Trace the words
  • Write the words
  • Match the words with the image
  • Match the words with objects
  • Give child a bag of halves and strategically place the other halves around the classroom or home
  • Go on a Compound Words Hunt

Resources Mentioned in this Post

  • Montessori Language Sequence of Lessons
  • Safari Figurines
  • Cardstock
  • Paper Cutter

Thanks for reading!
Marnie

Tagged With: Preschool, Reading and Writing

About Marnie Craycroft

Marnie hails from Maine where she spent summers buried in sand and winters buried in snow. She is the daughter of a nearly four decade veteran of the public school systems. Teaching has always been a part of her life. She founded Carrots Are Orange in 2010.

Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori learning and living website for parents and teachers.

Marnie graduated from Wesleyan University in 1999 with a BA in Economics. She spent nearly a decade working in investment management. In 2006, she earned her MA in business from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.

Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999 and currently lives in Boulder with her husband and three sons. She is Montessori trained. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, Buzzfeed, PBS Kids, BabyCenter, the Melissa & Doug blog, Huffington Post, and WhattoExpect.com. Besides writing, passions include running (usually after her three sons), photography, and outdoor adventures.

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