Verb tenses! Sometimes I feel like teaching irregular past-tense can feel like a chore. There are so many “rule-breakers,” so much memorization — and so many opportunities for students to get stuck or discouraged. But with this resource, you turn that chore into fun, and turn confusion into clarity.
Built-in structure — no prep needed. The games and activities come ready to go. No scrambling to design worksheets or creating flashcards on your own. With 145 irregular verbs included — and multiple games/activities — you have everything you need to support repeated exposure and practice. teacherspayteachers.com
Differentiation made easy. Whether you have emerging bilingual students, ELLs, or a mix of proficiency levels, you can tailor the games to target specific verbs or groups of students. It works equally well for small groups, literacy centers, early finishers, or whole-class practice. teacherspayteachers.com
Addresses a major teacher struggle: grammar without boredom. Grammar and verb-tense practice can feel dull — but games and interactive activities turn learning into play. Students are more engaged, more willing to try, and less afraid of making mistakes.
Supports long-term mastery and retention. Irregular tenses don’t follow simple rules — memorization and regular review are key. Research supports repeated, contextualized practice for mastery of past tense. deantroutslittleshop.com+2UniversalClass.com+2
Meets standards & works for a variety of teaching contexts. Designed for grades 2–5, it aligns with grammar expectations for elementary ELA and ESL classrooms. And because it’s low-prep and flexible, it’s ideal for busy teachers, intervention blocks, ESL support, or center time. teacherspayteachers.com
In short: This resource gives you a ready-made toolkit that transforms irregular tense instruction from “teacher lecture + worksheet” into “play, practice, and meaningful use.”
Why Teachers Love This Resource
| Teacher Struggles | How the Resource Helps |
|---|---|
| Lack of time to plan grammar lessons | The activities are ready to print and go — no extra prep needed. teacherspayteachers.com |
| Students bored by grammar worksheets | Fun games like “Fishing for the Past!”, “Slap It!”, and “Concentration!” keep energy high and attention engaged. teacherspayteachers.com |
| Differentiating for mixed-level or ELL learners | With 145 irregular tenses and flexible grouping, you can meet each student at their level. teacherspayteachers.com+1 |
| Students forgetting irregular forms over time | Regular play and review build retention and automatic recall — especially when verbs are practiced in different activities and contexts. |
| Grammar feeling disconnected from real use | Because students actively manipulate verbs in games and likely speak/say sentences aloud, they’re using verbs in “real-life” style contexts — which research shows helps solidify understanding. |
A Sample 5-Day Plan: Using the Resource in Your Classroom
Here’s a sample weekly plan — ideal for grades 2–5 — showing how you could use this resource to build fluency with irregular past-tense in a meaningful, fun way.
Day 1: Introduce + Explore
- Start with a mini-lesson: model some common irregular verbs in context (talk about what you did “yesterday,” using several irregular verbs). This helps show students how past tense works in real life. ThoughtCo+1
- Introduce 5–10 irregular verbs from the resource (select a variety). Write them on chart paper or whiteboard: present tense → past tense.
- Read a short, past-tense sentence or story (teacher created or from a read-aloud) and have students highlight or call out the irregular tenses they recognize. This builds awareness of how past tense appears in reading.
Day 2: Verb Game Time — Small Groups / Centers
- Divide students into small groups and play one of the games from the pack (e.g., “Fishing for the Past!” or “Make It in the Past!”). Use a limited set of verbs — 5–10 — to keep it manageable.
- After playing, have each group use the verbs to create 2–3 sentences about what happened “yesterday” (or a story). Encourage speaking first, then writing.
Day 3: Verb Practice + Partner Work
- Review the verbs introduced. Then, in pairs, have students play a matching or concentration-style game to match base tense to their past tense. This reinforces memory and helps visualize the “irregular change.”
- As a follow-up, partners ask each other “What did you do last weekend?” and answer using at least 3 irregular verbs each.
Day 4: Mixed Review + Challenge
- Mix previously learned tenses with 5–10 new irregular verbs from the resource. Use a faster-paced game (e.g., “Slap It!”) to practice recall under pressure — fun and energetic.
- Then, have a “past-tense challenge”: students individually write 5–7 sentences about a recent event (a field trip, recess, weekend, etc.), using as many irregular words as possible.
Day 5: Share & Reflect
- Invite students to share their sentences or short paragraphs with the class or in small groups. Encourage peers to listen for correct/incorrect verb usage.
- Review common mistakes, clarify tricky verb forms, and highlight successes.
- Optional: send home a small “verb challenge” handout or encourage students to talk with their families about what they did last weekend — using past tense verbs.
This 5-day plan can become a template you adapt every few weeks throughout the year — gradually cycling through more verbs, reviewing, and expanding use.
Why This Verb Resource Is Especially Great for ESL & ELL Learners
For ELLs (or any student learning English as an additional language), irregular verbs are often one of the biggest stumbling blocks — there are no clear “add -ed” rules, and memorizing is hard. Research shows that repeated, contextualized, interactive practice helps learners internalize irregular past tense forms.
Because this resource uses games, visual support, and lots of repetition, it reduces anxiety, increases engagement, and gives students a low-stress way to practice until the verb forms start to “stick.” Plus — because you can differentiate — you can scaffold for students who need more support and simultaneously challenge more advanced learners.
Final Verb Thoughts on Teaching
If you’re tired of pulling out dry worksheets every time your class needs past-tense practice, this resource is a breath of fresh air. It saves you time, keeps kids engaged, supports differentiation, and — best of all — helps your students genuinely internalize irregular past-tense verbs so that their speaking and writing become more accurate.
Because grammar doesn’t have to be boring. And when students play while they learn — that’s when it sticks.
Give it a try. You might be surprised how quickly your students shift from “I goed to the park” to “I went to the park.”
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