Introducing irregular past tense verbs

Appropriate Population: 

• School-age (or slightly below) 

Goal: 

• Identify irregular past tense verbs correctly
• Apply an irregular pattern to common verbs that the child is using currently. 

Steps

1. Explain that you will be talking about things that have already happened, in the past. Explain that most of the time when you talk about things in the past you change the word by putting an -ed on the end. Explain that this rule works for a lot of words but that there are some tricky ones where it doesn’t work!. Establish that today you are going to be practicing the tricky ones!
2. Give some examples of irregular past tense verbs (see list under resources, choose ones from here you think are appropriate). See if the child  can repeat after you, or guess some of the past tense versions once they have heard you repeat a list of them.
3. List off irregular past tense verbs, include a few irregular past tense verbs with an incorrect -ed ending. Have the child let you know when they think one is silly or wrong. They can choose how they let you know (could be a nod, a clap, pressing a button).

Step up: 

• Try doing a back and forth with the child where you say the verb and they say the past tense version of it. 

Step down:

• Go back to regular past tense verbs, or step two without the pressure for the child to guess anything.