What is a pronoun for kids?

A word that takes the place of a noun so you don't have to repeat it. In "Ben is hungry. He wants a snack," he is a pronoun standing for Ben.

What are personal pronouns?

Pronouns for people and things: I, you, he, she, it, we and they, plus their other forms such as me, him, us, them, mine and ours.

What is the difference between subject and object pronouns?

Subject pronouns do the action (I, he, she, we, they). Object pronouns receive it or come after words like to and with (me, him, her, us, them). "She called him" uses one of each.

It depends on the grammar book. American books often call my, your and their possessive pronouns or possessive adjectives. In England, schools teach them as possessive determiners, because they always come before a noun.

Can "they" refer to one person?

Yes. They is used for one person when you don't know, or don't need to say, whether the person is a man or a woman: "Someone left their umbrella."

Is there a free pronouns worksheet with answers?

Yes. Use the Print a worksheet button on this page for a fresh worksheet each time, with an answer key showing answers only or answers with worked steps.

Grades 1 to 5 (Years 2 to 6 in England)

Pronouns for kids: personal pronouns and more

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, like she, it or them. This page explains personal pronouns and the other kinds, with tips for tricky pairs like I and me, then gives you free practice and a printable pronouns worksheet with an answer key.

The rule, step by step

Find the noun you want to replace and decide if it means one or more than one, and a person, animal or thing.
If the noun is doing the action, use a subject pronoun: I, you, he, she, it, we or they.
If the noun receives the action or comes after a word like to, with or for, use an object pronoun: me, you, him, her, it, us or them.
To show who owns something, use my, your, his, her, its, our or their before a noun, or mine, yours, his, hers, ours or theirs on its own.
Read the sentence back to check it is clear who each pronoun means.

CCSS L.1.1.DCCSS L.2.1CCSS L.4.1CCSS L.2.1.CCCSS L.6.1.ACCSS L.5.1England: Y1 GPSEngland: Y2 GPS (pronouns)England: Y2 GPSEngland: Y3 GPS (pronouns to avoid repetition)

Worked example

Replace the repeated names with pronouns: Maya told Leo that Maya would lend Leo Maya's bike.

Keep the first "Maya" and "Leo" as names, so the reader knows who the sentence is about.
The second "Maya" is doing the lending, so it needs a subject pronoun. Maya is one girl, so use she.
The second "Leo" receives the bike and comes after the verb lend, so it needs an object pronoun. Leo is one boy, so use him.
"Maya's bike" shows who owns the bike, and the owner comes before a noun, so use her.
Maya told Leo that she would lend him her bike.

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What is a pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Without pronouns, writing gets clumsy fast: "Sam put on Sam's coat because Sam was cold." With them, it reads smoothly: "Sam put on his coat because he was cold." The noun a pronoun stands for is called its antecedent. In that sentence, Sam is the antecedent of his and he.

Personal pronouns

Personal pronouns stand for people and things. Unlike nouns, they change form depending on the job they do in the sentence.

Subject pronouns do the action: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. "She kicked the ball."
Object pronouns receive the action or follow words like to, with and for: me, you, him, her, it, us, them. "The ball hit him."
Possessive forms show who owns something. My, your, his, her, its, our and their go before a noun: "our house". Mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs stand alone: "The house is ours."
Reflexive pronouns point back to the subject: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves. "The cat washed itself."

Personal pronouns also change for person. First person is the speaker (I, we), second person is the listener (you), and third person is everyone and everything else (he, she, it, they).

Other kinds of pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns point things out: this, that, these, those. "That is my seat."
Interrogative pronouns ask questions: who, whom, whose, which, what. "Who called?"
Relative pronouns start a clause that adds detail: who, which, that, whose. "The girl who won is my cousin."
Indefinite pronouns don't name anyone in particular: someone, anybody, everything, nobody, each. "Everyone is here."

I or me?

This pair trips up adults as well as children. The trick is to take the other person out. "Mom took Dev and me to the zoo" is right, because without Dev it reads "Mom took me to the zoo." "Dev and I went to the zoo" works the same way: "I went to the zoo." It is also polite to put yourself last, so write "Dev and I" rather than "I and Dev".

Its or it's?

Its shows belonging, like his and her, and never takes an apostrophe: "The dog wagged its tail." It's is short for it is or it has: "It's raining." If you can say it is in its place, use the apostrophe. The same check works for your and you're, their and they're, and whose and who's.

Pronouns examples at different levels

Grade 1: "Kai has a kite. He flies it at the park." He stands for Kai, and it stands for the kite.
Grade 2: "We made the cake ourselves." Ourselves is a reflexive pronoun.
Grade 3: "The twins lost their gloves." Their points back to the twins.
Grade 4: "Is this pencil yours or mine?" Yours and mine are possessive pronouns standing alone.
Grade 6: "The coach chose Ana and me." Me is an object pronoun, because Ana and me were chosen.

How pronouns are taught in school

In the US, Common Core asks grade 1 children to use personal, possessive and indefinite pronouns such as I, me, my, they, them, their, anyone and everything (L.1.1d). Grade 2 adds reflexive pronouns like myself and ourselves (L.2.1c), grade 3 pronoun and antecedent agreement (L.3.1f) and grade 4 relative pronouns (L.4.1a). In grade 6, students make sure pronouns are in the right case and fix shifts in number and person and vague pronouns (L.6.1a to L.6.1d).

In England, Year 1 pupils use a capital letter for the pronoun I. In Years 3 and 4 pupils choose between nouns and pronouns to make writing clear and avoid repetition, and "pronoun" and "possessive pronoun" join the grammar terms in Year 4. One difference to know: in England, my, your and their are taught as possessive determiners, while mine, yours and theirs are possessive pronouns. Pronouns are tested on the KS2 grammar, punctuation and spelling test at the end of Year 6.

Pronouns practice at home

Read a short paragraph aloud with every pronoun replaced by a name. Children hear straight away why pronouns exist.
Point to people and objects around the house and ask which pronoun fits: he, she, it or they.
When your child says "Me and my friend went," ask them to drop "my friend" and listen to what is left.
Try the practice set below. It asks your child to swap nouns for personal pronouns, choose subject or object forms, pick possessive and reflexive pronouns, and decide between I and me. Then print a fresh pronouns worksheet with an answer key.

Common mistakes

Putting a subject pair in the wrong form: "Me and Jo went home" should be "Jo and I went home".
Using I after a preposition: "between you and I" should be "between you and me".
Mixing up its and it's. Its shows belonging; it's means it is or it has.
Inventing reflexive forms: "hisself", "theirselves" and "ourself" should be himself, themselves and ourselves.
Leaving it unclear who a pronoun means: in "Mia told Ruby that she had won," we can't tell who won. Use the name instead.
Adding apostrophes to possessive pronouns: "your's", "her's" and "their's" should be yours, hers and theirs.

Questions people ask

What is a pronoun for kids?: A word that takes the place of a noun so you don't have to repeat it. In "Ben is hungry. He wants a snack," he is a pronoun standing for Ben.
What are personal pronouns?: Pronouns for people and things: I, you, he, she, it, we and they, plus their other forms such as me, him, us, them, mine and ours.
What is the difference between subject and object pronouns?: Subject pronouns do the action (I, he, she, we, they). Object pronouns receive it or come after words like to and with (me, him, her, us, them). "She called him" uses one of each.
Is "my" a pronoun?: It depends on the grammar book. American books often call my, your and their possessive pronouns or possessive adjectives. In England, schools teach them as possessive determiners, because they always come before a noun.
Can "they" refer to one person?: Yes. They is used for one person when you don't know, or don't need to say, whether the person is a man or a woman: "Someone left their umbrella."
Is there a free pronouns worksheet with answers?: Yes. Use the Print a worksheet button on this page for a fresh worksheet each time, with an answer key showing answers only or answers with worked steps.

Updated November 1, 2026.

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