Boost Vocabulary With Compound Word Study

Whether you teach kindergarten or fifth grade, it’s never a bad time to boost your students’ vocabulary skills. One way to build up their personal vocabulary banks is by spending some time with compound words. There are so many compound words in the English language, and there are loads that your students aren’t familiar with. That’s why we encourage you to take your students on a word journey with new printable compound word activities and resources from Teach Starter!

Compound Words & Examples Vocabulary Mats 

These printable compound word mats are the perfect starting point for creating a variety of vocabulary-building activities. You can use these word mats to supplement your lessons in various ways. Here are a few ideas for how you can use them!

• Encourage students to write short stories or sentences using compound words from the list. This not only reinforces their understanding of compound words but also promotes creativity in writing.
• Have students create an illustrated compound word book using words from the word mat. Each page can feature a different compound word along with a picture representing it. 
• Play a game of charades! Have students choose one word from the word mat and act it out while the remaining students try to guess the word. Students guessing correctly can choose the next word.

We’ve included three leveled Word Mats in your resource download. Each mat features 12 compound words at the following levels.

• Level 1 – Simple Compound Words – Common compound nouns, easy to read, perfect for younger students.
• Level 2 – More Advanced Compound Words – Multisyllable compound words, a variety of known and unknown compound words. Perfect for intermediate grades.
• Level 3 – Advanced Compound Words – Multisyllable compound words, more unknown compound words. Great for older students.

Easily Download & Print Your Compound Word Mats

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

We have also included both the color version of this resource, as well as a black and white version for monochrome printers.

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter collaborator.

Even More Ways to Teach Compound Words

Don’t stop there! We have even more ways to help your students learn to read and identify compound words and compound nouns. Make sure you check out these printable compound word activities before you go.

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Compound Words Crossword Puzzle Pack

Boost vocabulary skills with a pack of printable Compound Word Crossword Puzzles!

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Word Scramble - Compound Words Activity

Have some word-friendly fun with a Compound Word - Word Scramble worksheet.

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Compound Word List Resource Pack

Introduce your students to different levels and types of compound words with a pack of printable compound word lists.