Possessive Nouns for Kids: Where Does the Apostrophe Go? (Grade 3 English)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Today we are learning possessive nouns. A possessive noun shows that someone owns something. We show it with a tiny mark called an apostrophe.

When one person or animal owns something, add an apostrophe, then s. The bike belongs to Sam, so it is Sam's bike. The bone belongs to the dog, so it is the dog's bone.

When many owners share something, and the plural already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s. The nest belongs to the birds, so it is the birds' nest.

Some plurals do not end in s, like children, men and mice. For these, add an apostrophe and s, just like one owner. The toys belong to the children, so they are the children's toys.

Be careful! Not every s needs an apostrophe. Plural just means more than one, like three cats. Possessive means owning, like the cat's tail. Only the owner word gets the apostrophe.

Here is a quick check. Ask yourself, who is the owner? Is there one owner or many? Then put the apostrophe right after the owner word. One girl's coat. Two girls' coats.

Now it's your turn. Show who owns it. The hat of the teacher. The shed of the farmers. Pause and try. It is the teacher's hat, and the farmers' shed, with the apostrophe after the s.

Great job! Remember, one owner gets an apostrophe and s, plural owners ending in s get just an apostrophe, and plurals without s get apostrophe s. Practice possessive nouns in the English Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!