4 activities to teach your child punctuation

“I like baking my family and my best friend John.” It might take a second to recognize that the above horrifying statement is quite simple—it just needs proper punctuation.

But imagine your child writing statements like this or misusing punctuation. Regular sentences can come out weird or even creepy! When children are taught to read and write, basic yet core concepts like the proper usage of punctuation marks can be overlooked. You can even believe punctuation in writing is as (or even more) significant as the need for ice cream on an ice cream sundae. 

Teaching grammar rules can put young ones to sleep quite quickly. So, here are some fun ways to familiarize punctuation to your child.

Four engaging ways to teach your child punctuation

Flashcards

What you can do: Make multiple flashcards of the basic punctuation marks, like the comma (,), period (.), an exclamation mark (!), and a question mark (?). Make the flashcards attractive and colorful. Hand them over to your child. Now read sentences that only need a single punctuation mark, like, “May I have a crayon.” Pause after you read the sentence and ask your child to raise the flashcard with the correct punctuation.

For many parents, the go-to activity to develop specific skills like vocabulary, or in this case—punctuation, is through flashcards, as flashcards can help children learn and remember core concepts.

Scavenger hunts

What you can do: Cut small pieces of sticky notes and cover all punctuation marks in your child’s favorite storybook. As your child might already be familiar with the story, they might be able to figure out which punctuation marks are hiding behind the sticky notes.

Your child might be able to guess the correct punctuation by recalling the story's plotline.

Punctuation posters

What you can do: Write down simple or compound sentences on paper. Replace all punctuation marks with an empty box. Ask your child to write the correct punctuation inside the box. 

With punctuation posters, you can make as many sentences as you want and give tons of practice.

Sorting boxes

Another fun activity that can keep your child occupied while still teaching them proper punctuation usage.

What you can do: A simple way to play this game is to have four trays/boxes for the essential punctuation marks (comma, period, exclamation, and question mark). Write simple sentences without any punctuation. Then cut the page into strips, each with a single sentence, and ask your child to sort them by placing the correct strips in the trays they think is the correct punctuation.

Consistent practice using correct punctuation marks in writing through homework or the above activities can help your child improve over time.

Head on over to byjuslearning.com to learn more about our Active Learning approach to Math, Language, and Reading for children between Pre-K and Grade 3.