English for Children: Essential Vocabulary & Phrases

"raise your hand"

To lift your arm to show the teacher you want to speak or that you know the answer

""Raise your hand if you know the answer!" the teacher said, and five children put their hands up."

"line up"

To stand in a straight row one behind another, usually to move somewhere together

""Time to go to lunch — please line up at the door," said the teacher."

"sit down"

To move from standing to sitting in a chair or on the floor

""Good morning, everyone! Please sit down and take out your books," said Mrs Johnson."

"listen carefully"

To pay close attention to what someone is saying without making noise

""Listen carefully because I am only going to say the instructions once," the teacher told the class."

"take turns"

To do something one person at a time so that everyone gets a fair chance

"The children learned to take turns on the swings so that everyone could play."

"well done"

An expression used to praise someone for doing something correctly or making a good effort

""Well done, Emma! You remembered all six words," the teacher said with a smile."

"pay attention"

To focus your mind on what is happening and not get distracted

""Pay attention to the board, please — this part is very important," she reminded the class."

"put away"

To place things back in their correct storage place when you are finished using them

""Please put away your crayons and close your art folders," the teacher said at the end of the lesson."

"letter sound"

The sound that a letter or group of letters makes when you say it aloud

"The teacher held up the letter "S" and asked, "What letter sound does this make? — Ssss!""

"blend"

To combine two or more letter sounds smoothly together to read a word

"The boy learned to blend the sounds "c-a-t" until he could hear the whole word "cat"."

"sight word"

A common word that children learn to recognise instantly by sight rather than sounding out

""The" is a sight word — children are taught to recognise it immediately without sounding it out."

"vowel"

The letters a, e, i, o, u, which represent open sounds made without blocking the breath

"The teacher circled the vowels in the word "sunshine" — u, i, and e."

"rhyme"

Words that have the same ending sound, such as "cat" and "hat"

"The children clapped along as they sang a rhyme: "Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.""

"syllable"

A unit of sound with one vowel sound that makes part of a word when spoken aloud

"The teacher clapped twice to show that "but-ter-fly" has three syllables."

"decode"

To use letter-sound knowledge to figure out how to read an unfamiliar word

"Lucy used her phonics skills to decode the new word "planet" one sound at a time."

"fluency"

The ability to read aloud smoothly, accurately, and at a natural pace

"After practising every evening, Tom's reading fluency improved so much that the class asked him to read aloud."

"count on"

To continue counting forward from a given number rather than starting from one

"The teacher said, "Start at 7 and count on three more — 8, 9, 10!""

"add up"

To find the total when you join two or more numbers together

"The children used blocks to add up 4 and 3 to get 7."

"take away"

To subtract one number from another to find what is left

""We have 9 apples. If we take away 4, how many are left?" the teacher asked."

"equal parts"

Sections that are all the same size when something is divided

"The teacher cut the pizza into equal parts so every child got exactly the same amount."

"number line"

A straight line with numbers placed at regular intervals, used for counting and simple calculations

"The children pointed to the number line on the wall to help them count on from 12."

"odd number"

A whole number that cannot be divided exactly by two, such as 1, 3, 5, or 7

"The teacher asked the class to circle every odd number on their worksheet."

"more than"

A comparison showing that one quantity is larger or greater than another

""8 is more than 5," said the teacher, drawing two groups of dots on the board."

"shape"

The form or outline of an object, such as a circle, square, or triangle

"The children sorted the building blocks by shape, putting all the squares in one pile."

"once upon a time"

A traditional phrase used at the beginning of a fairy tale or children's story

""Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a brave little rabbit," the teacher began reading."

"happily ever after"

The classic ending of a fairy tale, meaning that the characters lived happy lives from that point on

"The princess and the dragon became the best of friends and lived happily ever after."

"character"

A person, animal, or creature in a story or book

"The children's favourite character in the book was the funny little bear who loved honey."

"make-believe"

Pretending that something is real when it is not, as part of imaginative play

"The children played make-believe, turning the sofa cushions into a pirate ship."

"plot"

The sequence of events that happen in a story from beginning to middle to end

"The teacher asked the class to draw the three parts of the plot: beginning, problem, and solution."

"predict"

To use clues from a story so far to guess what might happen next

""Look at the picture on this page — can you predict what the little girl will find in the box?""

"retell"

To tell a story again in your own words after you have read or heard it

"The children were asked to retell the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff to their partner."

"imagination"

The ability to form pictures and ideas in your mind that are not actually in front of you

"The teacher said, "Use your imagination to draw a land where animals can talk.""

"left out"

The feeling of not being included in a group or activity when others are taking part

"Tom felt left out when the other children started a game without asking him to join."

"kind"

Behaving in a gentle, generous, and caring way toward other people

"It was kind of Sofia to share her snack with the new girl who had forgotten her lunch."

"apologise"

To say sorry and show that you understand you did something that hurt or upset someone

"After knocking over his friend's tower, Jake turned around to apologise immediately."

"proud"

A happy feeling you get when you or someone you care about achieves something good

"Mia felt proud when she finally managed to read the whole page by herself for the first time."

"nervous"

A worried or anxious feeling, often felt before something new or important happens

"Ben felt nervous on his first day at school, but after the first hour he was already making friends."

"take turns"

To share time, space, or equipment fairly so that each person gets an equal opportunity

"The children agreed to take turns on the big swing so no one felt left out at playtime."

"cheer up"

To help someone feel better when they are sad, or to become happier yourself

""I'll help you cheer up," said Lily, and she drew her friend a funny picture of a dancing cat."

"teamwork"

Working together as a group so that everyone contributes and the task gets done

"Building the tallest tower in the class required teamwork — everyone held a different block."

"life cycle"

The series of stages that a living thing goes through from birth to the end of its life

"The children watched a caterpillar change into a butterfly and drew its life cycle in their journals."

"hibernate"

To spend the winter in a deep sleep-like state to save energy when food is scarce

"The teacher explained that bears hibernate during winter, sleeping through the coldest months."

"photosynthesis"

The process by which plants use sunlight, water, and air to make their own food

"The class planted a bean and watched it grow, learning that photosynthesis made the green leaves."

"habitat"

The natural environment where an animal or plant normally lives and finds everything it needs

"The children sorted animal pictures by habitat — forest, ocean, desert, and polar."

"absorb"

To take in or soak up liquid, light, or nutrients from the surrounding environment

"The experiment showed that the paper towel would absorb the spilled water almost instantly."

"observe"

To watch something carefully and pay attention to details in order to learn about it

"The teacher told the class to observe the snail for five minutes and write down everything they noticed."

"forecast"

A prediction of what the weather or another event will be like in the future

"The children checked the forecast each morning and recorded whether it was sunny, cloudy, or rainy."

"recycle"

To process used materials so they can be made into new products instead of being thrown away

"The class set up three bins to sort paper, plastic, and glass to recycle at school."