Before playing noun games with children, you must explain to the kids what nouns are. Nouns are a type of speech and can be either a person, place, thing or idea. To play ABC nouns, write the letters A through Z and the words “person,” “place,” “thing” or “idea” on individual flashcards. Keep the piles of letters separate from the pile of words. Give each child a set of flashcards containing the four words. Choose a letter flashcard and have the children say a noun that begins with that letter. After a noun is called out, repeat the noun and then have the children hold up the appropriate type of noun chosen. For example, if you choose the letter “C” and someone says “Chicago” the children should hold up the card that says “place.”
Use a bucket of letter blocks to play a fun game that helps students distinguish between different types of nouns. For this game, pull out a letter block. Read the letter on the block and make a rule, such as “State a proper noun that begins with “R” or “Tell me a common noun that begins with “T.” Allow students to call out various nouns. You can also make rules about eliminating players in the game. One rule is to require every student to give a noun with that particular letter. If a student cannot think of one, he is out until the next round.
Line up the children in a circle. Begin with one student and work around the room stating nouns. Ask the first student to say a noun that begins with the letter “A.” The next child states a noun that begins with “B” and so on. Go around the circle for as long as desired and make rules as you go. For example, tell the children they must choose a proper noun for their letter, or a noun that is a place and so on.
Divide students into groups and hand each group a four-column chart with the titles “Person,” “Place,” “Thing” and “Idea.” Set a timer for 20, 30 or 60 seconds. Instruct the children to think of as many nouns for each category as possible and to write them in the correct columns.