Compound Words for Kids
Explore Interesting 200+ Compound Words for Kids
Compound words are two small words put together to form a word. The compound words are unique because it has its own meaning. Though it has two different meanings, it forms a meaningful word used for communication. Apart from teaching compound words for kids, you can also focus on teaching the definition of compound words for kids.
For instance,
- When two words, namely, sea and shell, are put together, the new compound word formed is seashell.
- However, when two words, namely, sea and shore, are put together, the new compound word formed is seashore.
Parents can introduce kids to Kindergarten Sight Words, which is available at Osmo.


As mentioned earlier, to form a compound word, two small words are put together. However, one must know that not all small words can be joined together to form compound words for kids. The compound word has to be an accurate word that makes sense and has real meaning. For instance, one cannot put small words dog and cat together because ‘dogcat’ is not valid.
Which of these words is a compound word?
- Glamorous
- Giraffe
- Cupcake
In this case, the word Glamorous is quite a long word and has three syllables; however, it cannot be broken into two separate words. Hence, it cannot be considered a compound word.
Is Giraffe a compound word?
It is a medium-sized word and has two syllables. However, it cannot be broken into two separate words. Hence, Giraffe, too, cannot be considered as a compound word.
Is Cupcake a compound word?
Yes, it is. Cup + cake = cupcake. Hence, cupcake is a compound word.
Types of Compound Words for Kids
There are three types of compound words. Namely,
- Closed Compound words for kids: These are the words formed when two different words combine together to form new words such as snow + ball= snowball, basket + ball- basketball, moon +light – moonlight, etc
- Open Compounds words for kids: These are the words that are separated from one another giving rise to single meaning words. For example, ice + cream= ice cream, post + office, store+room= storeroom, etc.
- Hyphenated Compounds for kids: These are the words combined together by a hyphen found in between. For example, sister-in-law, hands-on, long-term, well-known etc.
Also, refer to Hard spelling bee words.
Simple Compound Words for Kids
For instance, ‘sun’ and ‘flower’ are two different words. However, they form another word, sunflower, when connected. These words are created by either using the two words as a single term or adding a hyphen. Thus, the spelling of the two words is not necessarily altered when combined, but the meaning becomes unique.
200+ Examples Of Compound Words For Kids:
| Paycheck | Tablespoon | Firework |
| Newspaper | Superstar | Movie Theater |
| Catfish | Dress Shoes | Sailboat |
| Bodyguard | Lighthouse | Waistcoat |
| Runway | Starfish | Caveman |
| Lifetime | Moon Rocks | Toothbrush |
| Uplift | Needle Work | Railroad |
| Strawberry | Hopscotch | Nobody |
| Crosswalk | Sunburn | Goldfish |
| Groundhog | Outer Space | Fisherman |
| Handshake | Timekeeper | Desktop |
| Keyboard | Uptown | Rollout |
| Spearmint | Candlestick | Dropdown |
| Rainbow | Waterproof | Video Game |
| Angelfish | Dustbin | Tupperware |
| Birdhouse | Doorbell | Kickball |
| Keyhole | Eyeball | Firefighter |
| Cupcake | Dragonfly | Ponytail |
| Gingerbread | Skateboard | Moonwalk |
| Itself | Underground | Spaceship |
| Airplane | Needlepoint | Schoolwork |
| Blueberry | Over-The-Counter | Work Boots |
| Upperclassman | Peppermint | Superman |
| Fishhook | Snowball | Tadpole |
| Tugboat | Daydream | Popcorn |
| Herself | Grasshopper | Hardship |
| Billboard | Horseman | Downhill |
| Doghouse | Throwback | Raincoat |
| Armpit | Mother-In-Law | Snowflake |
| Wallflower | Laptop | Bookstore |
| Underestimate | High Heels | Midnight |
| Goodnight | Car Wash | Armchair |
| Downstairs | Tailgate | Baseball |
| Timeshare | Beachball | Nightlight |
| Mindset | Taxpayer | Teacup |
| Database | Fingernail | Extracurricular |
| Airport | Downpour | Hometown |
| Newborn | Worksheet | Father-In-Law |
| Stingray | Starlight | Waterboy |
| Neighbourhood | Solar System | Necktie |
| Neckline | Bow Tie | Raindrop |
| Handout | Snowhite | Bathtub |
| Underwater | Blackhole | Rockband |
| Takedown | Firefly | Drugstore |
| Backpack | Brainstorm | Keypoint |
| Teaspoon | French Fries | Hamburger |
| Firecracker | Needlework | Mailman |
| Shoelace | Horseplay | Racquetball |
| Milkshake | Football | Handbag |
| Farewell | Earlobe | Earthworm |
| Grandchild | Busboy | Tailbone |
| Overestimate | Showoff | Textbook |
| Kickboxing | Teammate | Softball |
| Chocolate Chip | Boardwalk | Newsletter |
| Network | Watermelon | Antfarm |
| Deadend | Hairband | Rawhide |
| Cabdriver | Moonlight | Ballpark |
| Honeydew | Rocketship | Postcard |
| Pathway | Sunroof | Bike Rack |
| Redhead | Subway | Headband |
| Rattlesnake | Supercharge | Hotdog |
| Earthquake | Cartwheel | Notebook |
| Rowboat | Handcuff | Crossbow |
| Takeout | Sunglasses | Fishbowl |
| Redwood | Homemade | Without |
| Sunflower | Jellybean | Drawbridge |
| Peanut | Butterfly | Soundproof |
| Wheelchair | Tennis Shoes | Namesake |
| Footstep | Policeman | Chalkboard |
| Worldwide | Mailbox | Schoolbooks |
| Forearm | Understand | Daytime |
| Nosebleed | Ice Cream |
Fun ways to teach Simple Compound Words to Kids
All the kids have different learning styles and patterns. It is not necessary that every kid has the same kind of learning abilities, they do have different grasping and understanding power. Therefore, you can check out some of the fun and interesting ways to teach compound words to the kids.
- Flashcards: Most of the kids are visual learners. Therefore, you can prepare a set of flashcards consisting of one word with image and the other with textual word on either side of the card. Allow kids to flip the flashcard either side to learn compound words. For example, BLUE and BERRIES make Blueberries. The aim is to find a word and an image to form a compound word. With this kids will develop concentration and focus on what they are learning.
- Hands-on Activities: Kids engage themselves in learning when something is taught with the help of activities. Basically, you have to conduct hands-on activities for kids where they can draw two words on the board adjacent to each other. Later, the other kid has to guess the word by combining the two images together. For example, a tree and house makes it a treehouse.
- Arts and Craft: You can provide best opportunities for kids to make art and craft using compound words. There is a substantial list of compound words for kids. Use them to make crafts for kids in order to retain and memorize words in their memory for a longer period of time. For that, you can ask kids to make paper flowers and stem with the help of crepe color papers. Ask them to write one word on the flower and the other one on the stem. For example, Light and House which makes it a lighthouse.
Once the children know the basics of compounds, parents and teachers can assist them in moving onto more difficult words. Osmo provides a wide range of child-friendly games, activities and learning materials. These are pretty simple to teach and understand. Make sure to know more by clicking on Easy Spelling Words.
Frequently Asked Questions on Compound Words for Kids
What are compound words for kids?
Compound words for kids are 2 words that are joined together to form a new word. These set of words are special as they have their own meaning and sometimes come with different meanings too.
What are some of the examples of compound words for kids?
Some of the examples of compound words for kids are sea + shell = seashell, cup + cake = cupcake, cat + fish = catfish, rail + road = railroad, sail + boat = sailboat, light + house = lighthouse, straw + berry = strawberry, drop + down = dropdown, etc.