150 Examples of Compound Words for Kids

What are Compound Words?

Compound words are formed when two or more words are joined together to create a new word that has an entirely new meaning.

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For example, “sun” and “flower” are two different words, but when fused together, they form another word, Sunflower. These words are formed by either adding a hyphen or just using the two words as a single term. The spelling of the two words is not necessarily changed when they are joined together, but the definition becomes unique.

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Consider the words “make up” and “makeup”. This is a more advanced example of a compound word because the resulting combination is a homonym and can be used in more than one way.

Make up your mind fast.

My makeup was ruined by the rain!

I have a makeup exam tomorrow.

In the first sentence, make up is a verb. In the second sentence, makeup is used as a noun. In the third sentence, we see makeup as an adjective describing “exam.”

Types of Compound Words

There are three types of compound words;

Closed Compound words: These words are written as a single word, such as haircut, newspaper, grandmother, etc.
Open Compounds: Compound words that are written as separate words such as high school, living room, school bus, etc.
Hyphenated Compounds: Words that use a hyphen in between two words, such as well-known, second-rate, merry-go-round, etc.

Fun ways to teach Compound Words

Every child has a different way of learning. What works for one may not work for another so we have created these fun ways to teach your kid compound words. Choose the best activity that tailors to your kid’s learning style.

Visual learning style – Prepare flashcards, half with words and half with pictures. Have your child lay them out in grid style and flip two cards over at a time. The goal is to find a word and a picture to create a compound word. Students will have to use their memory to succeed at this game.
Kinesthetic learning style- Give students a compound word and have them draw the two “parts” of the compound word. For example, for “doghouse” a kid would draw a dog and a house.
Help the kids make compound word daisies. Have them write a word in the middle of the paper flower and ask them to write compound words that utilize the word on the petals.

Once your students know the basics of compounds, you can help them move onto more difficult words.

Practice with these 150 examples of compound words: