Classroom Objects in English: School Vocabulary for Kids

Practice on screen

Look at the picture or number and choose the right English word. Ten questions each round.

How to teach it

1. 1. Mystery pencil case

   Put five or six school objects in a pencil case or a bag. The child reaches in without looking, feels one thing and guesses: "It is a ruler." Then pull it out to check. Add more objects over several days as the child learns new words.

2. 2. Label the classroom

   Write the English words on sticky notes or small cards: desk, door, window, board, clock. The child sticks each note on the right object and reads it aloud. Leave the labels up for a week and point to them whenever you pass.

3. 3. Teacher says

   Give short commands with school objects: "Touch the desk. Pick up the pencil. Put the book on the chair." The child acts them out. After a few rounds the child becomes the teacher and gives the commands, which gives practice in speaking.

4. 4. Pack the backpack

   Name a school day and ask, "What do you need today?" The child puts the right things into a backpack and says each word: "a notebook, a pencil, a ruler." Repeat with a different day, such as an art lesson.

5. 5. Draw and guess

   One person draws a school object on paper or on a small board, a little at a time. The other guesses in English: "Is it a clock?" Keep the drawings simple. Guessing wrong is fine, because every guess is another chance to say a word.

6. 6. Role play a school day

   Set up chairs as a classroom. One child is the teacher and one is the student. Use greetings, an attendance call and a short question about a school object: "Where is my pen?" Swap roles after a few minutes.

Common mistakes

• Saying "homeworks" or "a homework"

  Homework is not counted in English. Say "I have a lot of homework" or "I have two pieces of homework." Wrong: "I have three homeworks." Paper and furniture work the same way.

• Saying "a scissor"

  Scissors is always plural because it has two blades. Say "The scissors are on the desk" and "I need a pair of scissors." For two, say two pairs of scissors.

• Using "make" with homework

  In English you do homework, not make it: "I do my homework after school." Wrong: "I make my homework." You also do an exercise, and you make a mistake.

• Mixing up borrow and lend

  Borrow means to take something for a short time: "I borrow a book from the library." Lend means to give it for a short time: "The library lends books." Wrong: "Can you borrow me a pen?" Right: "Can you lend me a pen?"

• Using the wrong word for American or British English

  American schools have an eraser and a principal. British schools have a rubber and a head teacher. In the same way, American classroom words may differ from British ones, so choose one set and keep to it.