Contractions in English for Kids

What are Contractions?

1. Contractions are like “shortened words” or “word shortcuts.” They combine two words into one shorter word.
2. Some letters are taken out when the words are joined together, and an apostrophe (’) is used to show where the letters are missing.
3. We use contractions all the time when we talk, making our speech faster and smoother.

Start with Simple Contractions
Begin with the most common and easiest-to-understand contractions:
Examples:
is not → isn’t:
We take out the “o” from “not” and put an apostrophe in its place.
he is → he’s
We take out the “i” from “is” and put an apostrophe in its place.

Once the child is comfortable with the basic contractions, you can introduce more, such as:
I am → I’m
he is → he’s
she is → she’s
it is → it’s
you are → you’re
we are → we’re
they are → they’re
I have → I’ve
you have → you’ve
he has → he’s
she has → she’s
we have → we’ve
they have → they’ve
will not → won’t
would not → wouldn’t
cannot → can’t
did not → didn’t
could not → couldn’t

The following diagram shows some examples of common contractions for kids. Scroll down the page for more examples and songs for contractions.
 

Key Points:

• Contractions are shorter ways to say two words.
• An apostrophe (’) shows where letters are missing.
• We use contractions all the time when we talk and in informal writing.

Regular practice and review are essential for mastering contractions. Use games, worksheets, and real-life examples to reinforce learning.

The following diagram shows some more examples of contractions in English. Scroll down the page for more examples and songs for contractions.
 

Contractions song
Contractions shorten words and an apostrophe takes the place of the missing letters.
Do not - Don’t
Will not - Won’t
She will - she’ll
He will - he’ll
Has not - Hasn’t
Have not - Haven’t
He is - He’s
She is - She’s
I had - I’d
I will - I’ll
Who had - Who’d
Who will - Who’ll
I am - I’m
I have - I’ve

• Show Video

Contractions Songs for Kids
Are not - aren’t
Did not - didn’t
Does not - doesn’t
Had not - hadn’t
He had - he’d
Is not - isn’t
It is - it’s
Let us - let’s
Cannot - can’t
shall not - shan’t
That is - that’s
There is - there’s
They had - they’d
They will - they’ll

• Show Video

Some examples of contractions
He would - He’d
She would - She’d
What is - What’s
You are - You’re
Was not - Wasn’t
Should not - Shouldn’t
Here is - Here’s
Where is - Where’s
Let us - Let’s
It will - It’ll
We will - We’ll
You will - You’ll
What will - What’ll
That will - That’ll
Who is - Who’s
We are - We’re

• Show Video

Learning Phonics

Short Vowels
Short A	Short E	Short I
Short O	Short U	Short Vowels

Long Vowels
Long A	Long E	Long I
Long O	Long U	Y (vowel)
Long Vowels	Short, Long Vowels	Rhyming Words

Short & Long Vowels
Short & Long A	Short & Long E	Short & Long I
Short & Long O	Short & Long U	Short I & Long E

Consonant Sounds
B Sound	Hard C	Soft C
D Sound	F Sound	Hard G
Soft G	H Sound	J Sound
K Sound	L Sound	M Sound
N Sound	P Sound	Q Sound
P Sound	S Sound	T Sound
V Sound	W Sound	X Sound
Y Sound	Z Sound	S & Z Sounds

The following printable worksheets can be used to practice writing CVC words while reinforcing reading.

Free Printable Worksheets (CVC Words)
Set 1 Match CVC Words Write CVC Words Match & Write Spell CVC Words Sort CVC Words	Set 2 Match CVC Words Write CVC Words Spell CVC Words Sort CVC Words Match Phrases
Set 3 Match CVC Words Write CVC Words Spell CVC Words Sort CVC Words Match Phrases	CVC, CCVC or CVCC Match Words Write Words

Consonant Digraphs
CH Sound	SH Sound	Soft TH
Hard TH	WH Sound	PH Sound
GH Sound	NG Sound	Consonant Digraphs

Free Printable Worksheets for Consonant Digraphs

These worksheets focus on the consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th, qu and ng.

Printable Worksheets (Consonant Digraphs)
Learning "ch"	Learning "sh"
Learning "th"	Learning "qu"
Learning "ng"

Free Printable Worksheets for Digraphs

Printable Worksheets (EE, OO, OU, OI, AW)
EE Words	OO Words
OI Words	AW Words

Consonant Blends
BL Sound	CL Sound	FL Sound
GL Sound	PL Sound	SL Sound
BR Sound	CR Sound	DR Sound
FR Sound	GR Sound	PR Sound
TR Sound	SK Sound	SN Sound
SP Sound	ST Sound
3-letter Blends Str, Spr, Scr, Str, Shr, Spl, Thr	Ending Blends Nd, Nt, Nk, St, Ft, Lp, Ld, Lt, Mp, Sk

Types of Verbs
Action Verbs
Is, Am, Are
Has, Have

Spelling Rules for Verbs
Adding -ed
Irregular Verbs
Adding -ing

Others
Rhyming Words
Sentence Types
Contractions
Possessive Nouns

Try the free Mathway calculator and problem solver below to practice various math topics. Try the given examples, or type in your own problem and check your answer with the step-by-step explanations.

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