150 Examples of Compound Words for Kids

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;

  1. Closed Compound words: These words are written as a single word, such as haircut, newspaper, grandmother, etc.
  2. Open Compounds: Compound words that are written as separate words such as high school, living room, school bus, etc.
  3. 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:

  1. Airplane
  2. Airport
  3. Angelfish
  4. Antfarm
  5. Ballpark
  6. Beachball
  7. Bikerack
  8. Billboard
  9. Blackhole
  10. Blueberry
  11. Boardwalk
  12. Bodyguard
  13. Bookstore
  14. Bow Tie
  15. Brainstorm
  16. Busboy
  17. Cabdriver
  18. Candlestick
  19. Car wash
  20. Cartwheel
  21. Catfish
  22. Caveman
  23. Chocolate chip
  24. Crossbow
  25. Daydream
  26. Deadend
  27. Doghouse
  28. Dragonfly
  29. Dress shoes
  30. Dropdown
  31. Earlobe
  32. Earthquake
  33. Eyeballs
  34. Father-in-law
  35. Fingernail
  36. Firecracker
  37. Firefighter
  38. Firefly
  39. Firework
  40. Fishbowl
  41. Fisherman
  42. Fishhook
  43. Football
  44. Forget
  45. Forgive
  46. French fries
  47. Goodnight
  48. Grandchild
  49. Groundhog
  50. Hairband
  51. Hamburger
  52. Handcuff
  53. Handout
  54. Handshake
  55. Headband
  56. Herself
  57. High heels
  58. Honeydew
  59. Hopscotch
  60. Horseman
  61. Horseplay
  62. Hotdog
  63. Ice cream
  64. Itself
  65. Kickball
  66. Kickboxing
  67. Laptop
  68. Lifetime
  69. Lighthouse
  70. Mailman
  71. Midnight
  72. Milkshake
  73. Moonrocks
  74. Moonwalk
  75. Mother-in-law
  76. Movie theater
  77. Newborn
  78. Newsletter
  79. Newspaper
  80. Nightlight
  81. Nobody
  82. Northpole
  83. Nosebleed
  84. Outer space
  85. Over-the-counter
  86. Overestimate
  87. Paycheck
  88. Policeman
  89. Ponytail
  90. Post card
  91. Racquetball
  92. Railroad
  93. Rainbow
  94. Raincoat
  95. Raindrop
  96. Rattlesnake
  97. Rockband
  98. Rocketship
  99. Rowboat
  100. Sailboat
  101. Schoolbooks
  102. Schoolwork
  103. Shoelace
  104. Showoff
  105. Skateboard
  106. Snowball
  107. Snowflake
  108. Softball
  109. Solar system
  110. Soundproof
  111. Spaceship
  112. Spearmint
  113. Starfish
  114. Starlight
  115. Stingray
  116. Strawberry
  117. Subway
  118. Sunglasses
  119. Sunroof
  120. Supercharge
  121. Superman
  122. Superstar
  123. Tablespoon
  124. Tailbone
  125. Tailgate
  126. Take down
  127. Takeout
  128. Taxpayer
  129. Teacup
  130. Teammate
  131. Teaspoon
  132. Tennis shoes
  133. Throwback
  134. Timekeeper
  135. Timeline
  136. Timeshare
  137. Tugboat
  138. Tupperware
  139. Underestimate
  140. Uplift
  141. Upperclassman
  142. Uptown
  143. Video game
  144. Wallflower
  145. Waterboy
  146. Watermelon
  147. Wheelchair
  148. Without
  149. Workboots
  150. Worksheet