Homophones For Preschoolers and Kids – Meaning, Importance and Examples

English is quite an interesting language that is ever evolving. Almost every day, a new words meaning is added to the wide range of vocabulary already available. Homophones words are one of the various interesting factors of the language. Kids who have not had any exposure to homophones can feel a little frustrated and confused when they come across these words. But for kids who knew such word pairs, this can be a source of fun linguistic challenge and entertainment for them. Therefore, children must be exposed to homophones in English.

But quite often activities involving homophones lack the necessary challenge or just tend to be a bit boring for kids to learn. However, with a bit of creativity, various ways can be used to stick this concept to your little one’s mind while still keeping them engaged! In this article, there are some ideas to help you make your child a better speller! But before jumping to that, let’s first learn what homophone is, along with its types.

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What Is Homophone?

Let’s read the definition of a homophone.

A homophone is a word that is pronounced exactly like another word, but both words have different meanings. These words may or may not differ in spelling. For example, hear and here, pear and pair, etc.

Understanding homophones can help children in building vocabulary. So, it is important that your little one learns the spellings and meanings of the homophones in order to use them correctly.

Now, let’s read some of the definitions given by different dictionaries to understand what homophones mean.

• Oxford Learner’s Dictionary says that homophone is “a word that is pronounced like another word but has a different spelling or meaning.”
• The Cambridge Dictionary says that a homophone is “a word that is pronounced the same as another word but has a different meaning or spelling, or both.”
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary says that a homophone is “one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling.”
• The Collins Dictionary says homophones are “words with different meanings which are pronounced in the same way but are spelt differently.”

What Are The Types Of Homophones?

You’ll be surprised to know that there are different kinds of homophones. To know more about them, let’s take a closer look at them.

1. Pseudo-Homophone

These are the homophones that are phonetically identical. However, in common cases, pseudo-homophones aren’t actually real words.

For example, the word “crane” and the non-word “crain” could be considered pseudo-homophones.

2. Near Homophone

These are homophone words which are pronounced almost the same as another word but have a different meaning and a different spelling. These types of homophones may have one sound or letter, which causes them to be sounded out differently.

For example, the word “except” and “accept” could be considered near homophones.

Tip: Start teaching your child simple and common homophones, like “eight” and “ate”, and then move on to complex ones.

Why It Is Important For Children To Learn Homophones?

In order to fully understand a language, a learner must know and recognise all the concepts of language. Homonyms are one of the most confusing parts of the English language.
Here are reasons why it is important for children to learn homophones.

• It helps them to broaden their vocabulary and grammar skills.
• It helps them to understand the difference between two similar-sounding words.
• It gives them an opportunity to practice and improve their spelling.
• It gives them a chance to use new words in their conversation.

List Of Homophones Pairs With Meaning And Examples

To help your little one understands homophones and their use here is homophones words list with homophones examples with sentences to teach your child.

At What Age Should Your Child Start Learning Homophones?

Typically, children start learning about homophones between the age of 6 – 7 years. However, as their reading level progresses, your child comes across homophones more regularly. Some common homophones that they may come across reading are there, their, and they’re. So, you can start teaching your child homophones early, but only continue teaching if you feel that your child is unable to understand them.

What Is The Difference Between Homophones, Homographs And Homonyms?

How To Teach Homophones To Your Children?

Teaching homophones to kids is not that simple. There are more than 7700 homophones in English, and many puns, and cartoons are based on them. However, whether two or more words, homophones can only differ according to a person’s accent. Therefore, it’s important that they learn to distinguish between homophones when writing and reading. Below we have mentioned some homophones activities and tips that will help children learn homophones.

1. Picture The Difference

Link the homophones to a key picture using the same graphemes.

For example:

• A bear eating a pear and a pair of chairs
• A lettuce leaf with your meat and meeting under a tree.

2. Use Substitute Words

Use a substitute word to help children determine the correct homophone.

For example:

• There = here
• Their = my
• They’re = they are.

1. ___ is a dog. Here is a dog makes sense – so use ‘there’.
2. ___ dog is here. My dog is here makes sense – so use ‘their’.
3. ___ getting a dog. They are getting a dog makes sense – so use ‘they’re ‘.

3. Teach The Morphology & Etymology

Teach your little one morphology and etymology associated with words, and help them remember the correct spelling and how to choose the correct homophone.

For example:

• Two is associated with twin, twelve, twenty. Make your child substitute another number for two in the sentence, and it will still make sense. I had two pencils. I had three pencils.
• Too is used to indicate an excess or in addition. The “oo'” in “too” is a much longer sound than in “to”.
• To is used in front of verbs or as a preposition.

4. “Over” pronounce

The “k” in words such as knit and knot used to be pronounced. Making your child say these words with the “k” pronounced will help them remember to add in the ‘k’ when spelling the word and also help them distinguish them from their homophone.

For example:

• The k-night went out at night.
• I will not undo this k-not.

5. Learn Homophones Simultaneously

Look at the words your kids are learning to spell or read. If these words have a homophone, introduce these words at the same time, comparing and contrasting the meaning and helping the kids devise strategies for remembering the words.

Exercises To Understand The Concept Of Homophones For Children

Let’s take a look at some exercises related to homophones sentences that will help children learn common homophones.

Fill In The Blanks By Choosing The Right Homophones

1. We saw a big _______ (bear/bare) on our way to Nainital.
2. This almirah is made of _________. (steal/steel)
3. The ________ (soul/sole) purpose of our visit was to resolve the pending issues.
4. I ________ (sell/cell) second-hand phones for a living.
5. We reserved the upper ________ (berth/birth) for our trip.
6. Have you ________ (caste/cast) your votes?
7. Can we please have a _______ (brake/break)?
8. Does every class have a smart _________ (bored/board)?
9. Do you have enough ________ (flour/flower) to make bread?
10. Every day, my brother wakes up at ________ (eight/ate) in the morning.

Answers

1. We saw a big bear on our way to Nainital.
2. This almirah is made of steel.
3. The sole purpose of our visit was to resolve the pending issues.
4. I sell second-hand phones for a living.
5. We reserved the upper berth for our trip.
6. Have you cast your votes?
7. Can we please have a break?
8. Does every class have a smart board?
9. Do you have enough flour to make bread?
10. Every day, my brother wakes up at eight in the morning.

Learning about homophones can be a lot of fun as long as you take out time to talk about the unique word pairs in English. To teach your child, try encouraging them to engage and explore at least one homophone activity each day or spend a few days on a homophone unit to make learning this concept easy for them. With some experience, exposure and entertainment, homophones will be fun for your little one!

Also Read:

Rhyming Words for Kids to Learn
Transition Words for Children
Reading Comprehension for Kids with Activities