Nouns are important words in a sentence. Knowing the difference between proper and common nouns helps students write better.

A common noun is a general name for a person, place, or thing, like "city," "dog," or "teacher."

A proper noun is a specific name, like "New York," "Buddy," or "Mr. Johnson."

10 Hands-On Exercises for Mastering Proper and Common Nouns

Here are some fun activities to help elementary students learn proper and common nouns:

1. Noun Sorting Game

• Write a mix of proper and common nouns on cards.
• Have students sort them into two groups.
• Example: dog (common) vs. Rex (proper).

2. Proper vs. Common Noun Scavenger Hunt

• Give students a worksheet with two columns: one for proper nouns and one for common nouns.
• Let them find words in books or around the classroom and write them in the correct column.

3. Noun Detective

• Read a short story aloud.
• Students raise their hands when they hear a proper noun and clap for a common noun.

4. Noun Charades

• Write different common and proper nouns on slips of paper.
• Students take turns acting them out while classmates guess.

5. Capitalization Challenge

• Write sentences on the board with missing capital letters in proper nouns.
• Example: we visited new york city last summer.
• Students correct the mistakes.

6. Roll and Name

• Roll a die:
• Odd number = Name a common noun
• Even number = Name a proper noun
• Example: Student rolls a 4 and says "Eiffel Tower."

7. Noun Storytelling

• Each student picks one proper noun and one common noun from a list and creates a short story using them.