A compound word is when two different words joined together to create a new word with a different meaning. For example, the words 'butter' and 'fly' join together and become a butterfly. There are three ways to write compound words.
The open compound is a compound word that is spelled as two words. The example of this is a school bus, ice cream, back up, etc.
A closed compound is a compound word that is joined together as a word. For example a rainbow, notebook, flowerpot, etc.
The hyphenated compound is a compound word joined together by a hyphen. For example, long-term, well-known, two-tone, etc.
Introducing compound words can be intimidating because the words tend to be longer. But you can try to introduce them to your kids in a fun way.
Use a board game. You can use a scrabble or word tiles to form the words. First, you need to pick one compound word that you want to introduce. Form it using the tiles, and then separate it into the original words. Show the kids that they can create a new word using two words.
Use a compound word match worksheet. This is a great tool to use to introduce compound words to children. The worksheet is usually completed with pictures of the words to make it easier for kids to understand that the new word is a completely different thing from the original words.
We also have more printable word you may like:
Multiplication Word Problems Printable
First 100 Fry Words Printable
First 100 Sight Words Printable
While you can easily download any compound word matching worksheet on the internet, you can also make it yourself. Asking your children to join this activity can build their excitement.
To make the compound words matching the worksheet, you need to make three columns. Two for the original words and one for the new word. You can create several rows in a piece of paper. You can ask your kids to draw and write the original words that you pick and after they are done, let them figure the new word, write it down, and draw the new word.
You can also do the same activity by cutting out images of the words that you choose. Ask your children to glue them on the columns and write the words. After that, let them write the new word and pick the right image to glue on. These activities not only let the children have fun while learning, but also help them to memorize better.