From Breakfast to Brushing: Simple Ways to Explore Compound Words

Try this 30-Day Compound Word Challenge!

This challenge takes less than 5 minutes each day and by the end, you will have introduced 30 compound words to your child.

Simply follow these five simple steps:

• STEP 1: Every morning pick a new closed compound word, such as rainbow, watermelon, or heartbeat.
• STEP 2: Introduce your chosen compound word to your little one during a simple daily morning routine, such as getting dressed, brushing teeth, or having breakfast.
• STEP 3: Discuss how the word is made up of two words put together to create a whole new word. For example: tooth + brush = toothbrush.
• STEP 4: Next, use your compound word in an example sentence. You might say, “I use a toothbrush to make my teeth sparkle like stars.”
• STEP 5: Invite your child to make a sentence with the compound word. You might give some ways to help your child come up with a sentence. For the compound word, toothbrush, you could ask questions like, “What is it for?” or “What color is yours?” to help them build a complete sentence using their ideas.

Add a splash of silliness while building compound word skills by making up your own funny versions! Take a real sentence and swap one part of the compound word for something unexpected—like, “I use a toothmonkey to make my teeth sparkle like stars.” It’s a playful way to boost creativity and spark some laughter.