Point of View for Kids: First Person vs Third Person (Grade 5 English)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Today we are learning about point of view. Point of view tells us who is telling the story. Is it a character inside the story, or a narrator outside it?

In first person, a character in the story is the narrator. Look for the words I, me, my and we. I grabbed my backpack and ran to the bus. The narrator is part of the action.

First person lets us hear the narrator's own thoughts and feelings. But we only know what that one character knows. We cannot see inside anyone else's head.

In third person, the narrator is outside the story. Look for he, she, they and character names. Priya grabbed her backpack and ran to the bus. The narrator is not Priya.

Third person can follow just one character's thoughts. That is called third person limited. Or the narrator can know what every character thinks and feels. That is third person omniscient, which means all knowing.

Watch out for dialogue! A third person story can still have I inside quotation marks. Tom said, I am tired. That I belongs to Tom, not the narrator. Check the words outside the quotation marks.

Now it's your turn. Which point of view? One. We built a snow fort in my yard. Two. The twins built a snow fort in their yard. Pause and try. One is first person. Two is third person.

Great job! First person uses I and we, from inside the story. Third person uses he, she and they, from outside. Practice point of view in the English Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!