100 Compound Words for Kids: Types, Examples, and Sentences

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Last updated: 08/19/2025

Compound words are a great way to help kids expand their vocabulary, understand word structure, and improve reading fluency. By learning how two words can join to create a new word with a distinct meaning, children build critical language skills in a fun and practical way.

This guide introduces 100 kid-friendly compound words, grouped into three types: closed, open, and hyphenated. Each word comes with a simple example sentence to help learners see the word in action! To help children develop a love for reading and improve their writing skills, the WuKong ELA Reading and Writing Program is highly recommended. This program offers tailored lessons, small class sizes, and a rich array of English resources.

What Are Compound Words?

A compound word is formed when two individual words are combined to create a new word with a different meaning. Think of it like this:

Word A + Word B = Compound Word
Example: tooth + brush = toothbrush

There are three main types of compound words:

Closed Compound Words – written as a single word (e.g., basketball)
Open Compound Words – written as two separate words (e.g., ice cream)
Hyphenated Compound Words – connected with a hyphen (e.g., mother-in-law)

Let’s explore each type with lists and examples!

3 types compound words

100 Closed Compound Words for Kids

Closed compound words are joined without spaces. These are often the easiest for children to read and write.

🏠Everyday Life Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
tooth	brush	toothbrush
tooth	paste	toothpaste
back	pack	backpack
bed	room	bedroom
bath	room	bathroom
house	work	housework
door	bell	doorbell
lunch	box	lunchbox
dish	washer	dishwasher
hair	brush	hairbrush
table	cloth	tablecloth
tea	cup	teacup
hand	bag	handbag
wrist	watch	wristwatch
head	light	headlight

100 Compound Words for Kids: Types, Examples, and Sentences - WuKong Edu Blog

🧑‍🏫School & Learning Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
school	house	schoolhouse
class	room	classroom
white	board	whiteboard
home	work	homework
note	book	notebook
book	shelf	bookshelf
story	book	storybook
word	book	wordbook
flash	light	flashlight
book	mark	bookmark
play	time	playtime

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦People & Relationships Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
grand	mother	grandmother
grand	father	grandfather
grand	parent	grandparent
boy	friend	boyfriend
girl	friend	girlfriend
class	mate	classmate
team	mate	teammate
room	mate	roommate
life	guard	lifeguard
mail	man	mailman
fire	man	fireman
watch	dog	watchdog
post	man	postman

🐾Animals & Insects Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
butter	fly	butterfly
fire	fly	firefly
dragon	fly	dragonfly
lady	bug	ladybug
watch	dog	watchdog

🌻Nature & Plants Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
sun	flower	sunflower
sea	weed	seaweed
flower	pot	flowerpot
green	house	greenhouse
tree	house	treehouse
bird	house	birdhouse
wind	mill	windmill
rock	slide	rockslide
water	fall	waterfall
camp	fire	campfire

🌦️ Weather & Seasons Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
rain	bow	rainbow
rain	drop	raindrop
rain	coat	raincoat
rain	fall	rainfall
rain	storm	rainstorm
snow	flake	snowflake
snow	man	snowman
snow	storm	snowstorm
sun	beam	sunbeam
moon	beam	moonbeam
moon	light	moonlight

🕓Time & Activities Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
day	time	daytime
sun	set	sunset
sun	rise	sunrise
mid	night	midnight
week	end	weekend
birth	day	birthday
play	ground	playground
side	walk	sidewalk
drive	way	driveway
walk	way	walkway

💻Technology & Tools Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
lap	top	laptop
head	phone	headphone
sun	lamp	sunlamp
key	chain	keychain
wheel	chair	wheelchair
light	house	lighthouse
hair	dryer	hairdryer
sun	glasses	sunglasses

🎉Holidays & Fun Compound Words

A	B	Compound Word
fire	works	fireworks
snow	ball	snowball
candy	cane	candycane
thanks	giving	Thanksgiving
Christ	mas	Christmas
gift	wrap	giftwrap
camp	ground	campground
news	paper	newspaper

30 Open Compound Words for Kids

Open compound words look like two separate words but work as one meaning.

Compound Word	Sentence Example
ice cream	I want chocolate ice cream.
post office	We went to the post office.
peanut butter	She made a peanut butter sandwich.
high school	He is starting high school next year.
fire truck	The fire truck arrived quickly.
real estate	She works in real estate.
living room	We watched TV in the living room.
full moon	A full moon lit the sky.
hot dog	I had a hot dog for lunch.
credit card	I paid with my credit card.
baby sitter	We need a baby sitter tonight.
swimming pool	The swimming pool is clean.
police officer	The police officer helped us.
coffee table	The keys are on the coffee table.
dining room	We ate in the dining room.
cell phone	My cell phone is ringing.
car seat	The baby sat in a car seat.
water bottle	I carry a water bottle to school.
lunch box	My lunch box is red.
school bus	The school bus is here.
gas station	We stopped at a gas station.
front yard	The flowers are in the front yard.
tennis court	The tennis court was busy.
paper towel	He wiped the spill with a paper towel.
power station	The power station runs the lights.
apple pie	Grandma baked an apple pie.
book store	I bought a book at the book store.
dog house	The puppy slept in the dog house.
traffic light	The traffic light turned red.
air conditioner	The air conditioner is too cold.

30 Hyphenated Compound Words for Kids

Hyphenated compound words use hyphens to connect the parts. These are often adjectives or compound nouns.

Compound Word	Sentence Example
mother-in-law	My mother-in-law is visiting.
well-known	He is a well-known artist.
part-time	She has a part-time job.
check-in	We waited at the check-in desk.
runner-up	She was the runner-up in the contest.
father-in-law	My father-in-law likes fishing.
two-year-old	My brother is a two-year-old.
high-speed	We took the high-speed train.
self-esteem	Confidence builds self-esteem.
merry-go-round	The merry-go-round spins fast.
well-being	Exercise supports your well-being.
one-third	I ate one-third of the cake.
up-to-date	Keep your computer up-to-date.
twenty-one	She turned twenty-one today.
sister-in-law	My sister-in-law lives nearby.
T-shirt	I wore a red T-shirt.
mother-to-be	She is a mother-to-be.
all-inclusive	We stayed at an all-inclusive resort.
editor-in-chief	He is the editor-in-chief of the magazine.
year-end	The year-end sale starts today.
dry-cleaning	I picked up the dry-cleaning.
full-time	She works a full-time job.
long-term	We made a long-term plan.
old-fashioned	I like old-fashioned candy.
mass-produced	The toys are mass-produced.
top-secret	That’s a top-secret file!
good-looking	He’s a good-looking actor.
user-friendly	This app is user-friendly.
built-in	The house has a built-in oven.
well-dressed	She is always well-dressed.

Conclusion: Helping Kids Master Compound Words Easily

Learning compound words can be both educational and exciting for kids. By understanding how simple words combine to form new ones, children develop stronger language skills, better reading comprehension, and more confidence in writing.

With the examples and strategies above, you can help your child master compound words step by step. Looking for structured vocabulary learning? WuKong ELA offers engaging, curriculum-aligned English classes for Grades K–12 that make reading and word building a fun adventure.

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Suitable for global learners in grades 3-6.

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Elaina Zetts | WuKong ELA Teacher

Elaina Zetts, a teacher from League City, Texas, majoring in Elementary Education, has a master’s degree in K-12 Literacy. Serves as an ELA teacher in a public school in Friendswood, Texas. Has taught ELA for 15 years and is good at teaching elementary aged students how to read, write and spell. Teh teaching profession is her heart and soul and wat brings her the most joy in life. She hopes dat her love for Literacy shines through and that children grow in their love for reading and writing while in her classes.