Fun Ways to Teach Homophones: Their, There, and They’re

The homophones “their,” “there,” and “they’re,” can be confusing, even for adults! We’ve all seen those social media posts misusing them (and let’s be honest, we’re probably all guilty of doing it at least once). But with a little creativity and a lot of practice, we can make mastering these tricky words fun for our students. 

Teaching Homophones There, Their, and They're

1. Interactive Notebook Foldable

This is hands-down one of my favorite ways to teach homophones! Have students create a foldable with three flaps. They write the homophone on the top flap, then beneath the flap write the definition and an example sentence. It’s hands-on, visual, and helps the information stick. Plus, they can revisit it anytime they need a refresher. Check out this free homophone foldable if you need a quick template to use!

This interactive notebook activity also includes the other homophone triplets - to, too, and two.

2. Reinforce with Task Cards

Task cards are great for practice. You can create cards with sentences that have blanks for students to fill in with the correct homophone. For example: The kids took ___ backpacks to school.

They can do this independently, in groups, or you can turn it into a game! Spread the cards throughout the room, and students can rotate while completing each card. Need some task cards already made? Check out the Homophones There, Their, & They're Skill-Specific Revising & Editing Task Cards.

3. Homophone Sorting Games

Sorting games are simple but effective, and require very little prep!

• Write “their,” “there,” and “they’re” on large cards and prepare sentence strips or word cutouts.

• Students read the sentence or word and sort it under the correct homophone.

• Divide students into teams and see who can sort the fastest. A little friendly competition never hurts!

  
  

4. Homophone Story Challenge

Get the creativity flowing! Challenge students to write a short story or a few sentences using all three homophones correctly. To make it extra silly, give them funny prompts like “A cat, a penguin, and an alien meet at a lake” and see what they come up with!

Need an exit ticket or a quick way to see if your students have mastered the concept? Check out the Homophones There, Their, They're : Skill-Specific Revising and Editing Passage!

Build Confidence

Homophones don’t have to be a headache to teach, or to learn. Using engaging activities and reference tools they can revisit like an interactive notebook activity, students can gain confidence in using these often-confused words. They might not appreciate it now, but they're - oops, I mean their future selves on social media will thank you!