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Prefixes and Suffixes: Year 1 Word Workshop with Pip

Prefixes and Suffixes: Year 1 Word Workshop with Pip

Learn Year 1 prefixes and suffixes: add s, es, ing, ed, er and est, and use un, by dragging tiles onto words in a lively word workshop.

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What you'll learn

  • Add s or es to a noun to make a plural, like foxes
  • Hear the extra beat that shows a word needs es
  • Add s or es to verbs after he, she or it
  • Add ing, ed and er to verbs without changing the root word
  • Compare with er and est: quick, quicker, quickest
  • Use the prefix un to mean not or undo, like unkind and untie

Chapter by chapter

  1. Plurals: adding –s or –es to naming words Free to try

    Year 1 english · 1 Year 1 english · 2

  2. Doing words with –s or –es: he jumps, she wishes

    Year 1 english · 1

  3. Adding –ing, –ed and –er to doing words

    Year 1 english · 3 Year 1 english · 4

  4. Comparing with –er and –est: quick, quicker, quickest

    Year 1 english · 3

  5. The prefix un–: unkind, untie and undo

    Year 1 english · 5 Year 1 english · 6

  6. Word Changer challenge (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 1 english: Add prefixes and suffixes: using the spelling rule for adding –s or –es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs
  2. Year 1 english: Word: regular plural noun suffixes –s or –es, including the effects of these suffixes on the meaning of the noun
  3. Year 1 english: Add prefixes and suffixes: using –ing, –ed, –er and –est where no change is needed in the spelling of root words
  4. Year 1 english: Word: suffixes that can be added to verbs where no change is needed in the spelling of root words (e.g. helping, helped, helper)
  5. Year 1 english: Add prefixes and suffixes: using the prefix un–
  6. Year 1 english: Word: how the prefix un– changes the meaning of verbs and adjectives

About this adventure

Prefixes and Suffixes: Year 1 Word Workshop is an interactive game that teaches children aged 5–7 how adding s, es, ing, ed, er, est and the prefix un changes words, following the Year 1 English curriculum in England.

A suffix is an ending added to a root word, and a prefix goes at the start. Children drag or tap ending tiles onto root words and watch the pictures change: one dog becomes three dogs, a sapling grows taller and a boat is untied and sails away. They clap syllable beats to hear when a plural needs es, sort word cards into baskets and choose the right ending to finish sentences.

Pip, a friendly bird, reads every instruction aloud, so early readers can play on their own. A 10-question challenge at the end mixes all the endings together.

Questions and answers

What is a suffix, in simple words?

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a root word to change its meaning or how it is used. Adding s to dog makes dogs, and adding ing to jump makes jumping.

When do you add es instead of s to make a plural?

Add es when the plural has an extra beat, or syllable, as in fox and foxes or wish and wishes. This usually happens when a word ends in s, x, z, sh or ch. Otherwise, just add s, as in cats.

What does the prefix un mean?

The prefix un usually means not or undo. Unkind means not kind, while untie means to undo a knot. Un always goes at the start of the root word, and the spelling of the root word stays the same.

What age is this prefixes and suffixes game for?

It is made for children aged 5 to 7 and matches the Year 1 English curriculum in England. Older children who need extra practice with plurals, ing and ed endings or the prefix un will also find it useful.

What is in the game and how long does it take?

The game has five short chapters, each with an animated introduction, hands-on activities and a recap, plus a 10-question final challenge. Playing everything takes about 40 minutes, and children can start any chapter from the map.

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