English for Kids. FREE playlearning™ content curated by the Lingokids educators team.

English for kids

Free playlearning™ content curated by the Lingokids educators team.

English for kids

Action Verbs

Action verbs express different states, occurrences and actions, so they are perfect for young English learning. Let's take a look at the most common action words in English!

What Is An Action Verb?

Every child has a favorite hobby! Whether it’s singing, playing with toys, running, or reading. But, what do all of these activities have in common? Well, for once, action verbs are used to talk about them!

All verbs express different occurrences, states, and actions done by a subject in a sentence. So, what makes an action verb different? What is an action verb? These are the ones used to talk about the different actions that are happening and the physical activities that a subject might perform. Usually, they’re the most known verbs, which make them the perfect start for all English learners, from native English Speakers to ESL students. They are also called “dynamic verbs”, and even though they are common when describing physical activities such as walking, or reading, there are some cases where it’s not that easy to spot their meaning, like thinking.

As one may guess, there are plenty of verbs and action words that children can learn! However, learning the verbs in English can be really difficult for some children, since a verb is such an abstract concept for them to grasp. Then, how do we choose where to start? Pre-K children and even younger learners might find it difficult and overwhelming to study all these words at once, that’s why this topic it’s usually divided and taught throughout the school years. On the other hand, the earlier children start learning about these words the more advantage they’ll have in their future education.

Given their importance in speech, it’s essential for the little ones to start little by little, learning the most common ones that are frequently used in daily activities, such as sleep, eat, run, walk, talk. Children usually learn these actions without even thinking about it, it’s something that comes naturally to growth. To learn the rest of the verbs, which are not used as often, the key is to make this learning process effortless, entertaining, and natural.

For starters, parents can think of different tasks that require action verbs and practice these in the house. Also, singing songs for kids and playing games related to the topic could be very helpful to reinforce new vocabulary. It’s good to remember that all kids learn at different paces and is not in the same way, so it’s best to mix up the teaching techniques and learning activities to get better results. Now, let’s take a look at some of the verbs that the youngest ones in the house can learn more easily.

Some are easier to identify and explain than others. However, here you’ll find a list of the most common action words in English to start practicing with your little ones.

 

??? bike / cry / dance / eat

feel / jump / listen / read

??? run / see / sing / sleep

sneeze / ??? swim / taste / ??? walk

These few words are great to have some practice during early childhood since the actions they represent can be easily learned at home. Now, let’s take a close look at more action words that children can learn as they grow up, and start incorporating into their vocabulary. Action verbs can be grouped into several different categories, they can talk about: organizational actions, critical thinking actions, communication words, or dynamic verbs.

 

 

Organizational Actions

arrange / gather / obtain / open

? organize / place / prepare / preserve

? print / program / save / separate

Critical Thinking Actions

? adjust / analyze / begin / ? build

buy / categorize / check / ? create

?? compare / ?? cut / ? decide / ? discover

? divide / ? eliminate / imagine / identify : dividir

specialize / study / succeed / ?? write

 

 

Communication Words

announce / ? ask / assist / ??? authorize

?? compare / communicate / convince / ? educate

encourage / ? explain / ?? guide / help

inform / inspire / joke / meet

motivate / show / ? speak / ? suggest

? teach / ?? throw / volunteer

 

 

Dynamic Verbs

  • ?? achieve / activate / bake / close

  • come / ?? complete / cook / do

  • ?? doodle / earn / ? exit / go

  • ? install / kick / ?? load / match

  • meet / sharpen / shop / ?? skate

  • travel / upload / view / visit

    ? wake up / ?? wait / win

  • Action verbs can be used for so many things, and in many different sentence structures, however, it’s advisable to start with simple examples so the little ones can learn more naturally, as they get to practice each one of these words.

Let’s take a look at some sentences you can use daily with your children to practice the different action words in English.

 

 

Action verbs examples

Elliot goes to her grandma’s house every Sunday.

This is Billy. He is building a toy castle!

My sister helps me with my homework.

Cowy is playing and laughing.

Lisa writes a letter to her mother.

C’mon, Baby Bot! Throw the ball!

Bobby swims in the lake.

The leaves fall from the trees.

Hi! Can I ask you a question?

Cowy will climb the climbing wall.

What are you going to eat dinner?

Elliot bakes a cake.

Lisa and Cowy are always joking.

Billy loves football! He always kicks the ball.

The Lingokids go to the beach in July.

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