Verb tenses tell us when an action happens. They show if something is happening now, already happened, or will happen later. Present tense, past tense, and future tense are the main ways we talk about time. For a six-year-old, understanding verb tenses helps them tell stories clearly and share when things happen. Learning the 70 most common verb tenses for a 6-year-old gives children the tools to express time accurately in their speaking and writing. These patterns become the foundation for clear communication about past, present, and future.
Meaning of Verb Tenses Verb tenses show the time of an action or state of being. Every time we speak, we need to show when something happens. Do we mean now? Yesterday? Tomorrow? Verb tenses give this information.
Present tense shows actions happening now or habits that happen regularly.
I eat breakfast every day.
She plays with her dolls.
The sun shines in the sky.
Past tense shows actions that already happened.
I ate breakfast an hour ago.
She played with her dolls yesterday.
The sun shone all afternoon.
Future tense shows actions that will happen later.
I will eat dinner soon.
She will play with her dolls after school.
The sun will shine tomorrow.
For young children, learning tenses means learning to change verbs to show time. They learn to add -ed for past tense, but they also learn the many irregular verbs that do not follow the rules.
When we talk about the 70 most common verb tenses for a 6-year-old, we mean the most important verbs in their present, past, and future forms that children use and encounter most often in their daily lives.
Conjugation of Verb Tenses Verbs change their form to show different tenses. These changes are called conjugation. For regular verbs, the patterns are simple. For irregular verbs, children need to learn special forms.
Present tense conjugation changes based on who is doing the action.
I walk.
You walk.
He/She/It walk s.
We walk.
They walk.
We add -s for he, she, and it. This is one of the first patterns children learn.
Past tense conjugation for regular verbs adds -ed.
I walk ed yesterday.
You walk ed yesterday.
He walk ed yesterday.
We walk ed yesterday.
They walk ed yesterday.
Irregular past tense verbs have special forms that children must memorize through practice.
go becomes went
eat becomes ate
see becomes saw
come becomes came
have becomes had
Future tense uses the helping verb will before the main verb. The main verb does not change.
I will walk tomorrow.
You will walk tomorrow.
He will walk tomorrow.
We will walk tomorrow.
They will walk tomorrow.
Children also use going to to talk about the future.
I am going to walk tomorrow.
She is going to play later.
For a six-year-old, the most important thing is learning to use the correct tense in everyday conversation. They will learn the rules gradually through practice.
Present Tense The present tense is the first tense children learn. They use it constantly to talk about their world.
Simple present shows habits, facts, and things that are always true.
I live in a blue house.
She likes ice cream.
Dogs bark.
The sky is blue.
We go to school every day.
Present continuous shows actions happening right now. We use am, is, or are with the -ing form.
I am eating lunch right now.
She is sleeping in her bed.
They are playing outside.
The baby is crying.
Children use present continuous to talk about what is happening at the moment. "Look! It is raining!" "Mommy is cooking dinner."
Here are some common present tense verbs six-year-olds use:
I want a snack.
She has a new doll.
We need to go now.
He does his homework.
They come to my house.
It looks funny.
I feel happy.
Past Tense The past tense is essential for telling stories about what happened. Children start using past tense naturally around age three or four, but they master more forms by age six.
Regular past tense adds -ed to the verb.
I played with my friend.
She watched a movie.
We jumped on the bed.
They walked to the park.
He asked a question.
Irregular past tense verbs are very common and children use them every day.
I went to Grandma's house.
She ate all her lunch.
We saw a big deer.
He came to my party.
I had a good time.
She said hello.
He made a card for me.
We ran in the race.
They swam in the pool.
I drank all my juice.
The verb be in past tense has two forms: was and were.
I was tired.
You were funny.
He was happy.
She was sad.
It was cold.
We were at school.
They were late.
Children sometimes make mistakes with irregular verbs at first. They might say "I goed to the store" instead of "I went." This is normal. They are learning the -ed pattern. Gently model the correct form back to them. "Oh, you went to the store? How fun!"
Future Tense The future tense lets children talk about plans, hopes, and things that have not happened yet.
Future with will is simple and common.
I will see you tomorrow.
She will come to my party.
We will have pizza for dinner.
It will rain later.
They will play after school.
Future with going to is also very common in conversation.
I am going to visit Grandma.
She is going to sleep soon.
We are going to build a fort.
They are going to eat lunch.
Present continuous for future is used for planned events.
I am going to the doctor tomorrow.
We are having a party on Saturday.
She is coming over after school.
Children use future tense to make plans and express hopes.
"I will be six forever!"
"We are going to get a puppy."
" Will you play with me?"
"I am going to be a firefighter when I grow up."
"It is going to be the best day ever!"
Questions with Verb Tenses Asking questions in different tenses helps children get information and express curiosity.
Present tense questions use do, does, or am/is/are.
Do you like pizza?
Does she want a turn?
Are you feeling okay?
Is it raining outside?
Past tense questions use did or was/were.
Did you see that?
Did she eat her lunch?
Were you playing outside?
Was it fun?
Future tense questions use will or going to.
Will you help me?
Will it rain tomorrow?
Are you going to come to my party?
Is she going to sleep now?
Here are some question examples children ask every day:
" Did you buy me a treat?"
" When will we go to the park?"
" What are you making?"
" Why did the baby cry?"
" Where were you?"
Other Uses of Verb Tenses Verb tenses have other important uses in English. Learning these helps children understand more complex language.
Present perfect tense connects the past to the present. It uses have or has with the past participle.
I have eaten already.
She has gone to school.
We have seen that movie.
They have finished their homework.
Children use this tense to talk about experiences and recent events.
"I have never been to the zoo."
"Have you seen my shoe?"
"We have had a busy day."
Past continuous tense shows an action that was in progress at a past time.
I was eating dinner when you called.
They were playing outside when it started to rain.
She was sleeping all afternoon.
Conditional sentences use different tenses to talk about possibilities.
"If it rains , we will stay inside." (present + future)
"If I had a million dollars, I would buy a castle." (past + would)
For a six-year-old, the most important tenses are simple present, present continuous, simple past, and simple future. These cover most of what they need to communicate every day.
Learning Tips for Verb Tenses Helping your child learn verb tenses happens naturally through everyday conversations. You do not need special lessons. You just need to use different tenses and gently encourage your child to use them too.
Talk about now, before, and later: Throughout the day, comment on when things happen. " Now we are eating breakfast. Earlier we woke up. Later we will go to the park." This helps children connect tenses to time.
Ask about the past: At the end of the day, ask your child what they did. "What did you do at school? What did you eat for lunch? Who did you play with?" This practices past tense naturally.
Make plans together: Talk about future actions. "What will we do tomorrow? Where will we go ? What are we going to have for dinner?" This practices future tense.
Correct gently: When your child makes a tense mistake, simply model the correct form back to them. Child: "I goed to the store." You: "Oh, you went to the store? What did you buy?" No need to explain the rule. Just show the right way.
Read books together: Children's books use different tenses. As you read, you can notice them. "This story is about things that happened yesterday. See how the words end in -ed?" "This book is about things happening now."
Tell stories about your day: Model using different tenses when you tell your child about your day. "This morning I went to the store. I bought some milk. Now we have milk for cereal. Tomorrow I will go to the bank."
Educational Games for Verb Tenses Games make learning verb tenses fun and memorable. Here are some games you can play with your child to practice these important time words.
The Yesterday and Today Game: Take turns saying what you did yesterday and what you are doing today. "Yesterday I played outside. Today I am playing inside." "Yesterday I ate pancakes. Today I am eating cereal." This practices past and present.
The Tomorrow Game: Talk about what you will do tomorrow. "Tomorrow I will go to the zoo. Tomorrow I will see the elephants. Tomorrow I will eat popcorn." This practices future tense.
The Verb Tense Card Game: Make cards with verbs in present tense. Take turns picking a card and saying the past and future forms. Pick "run." Say "run, ran , will run." Pick "eat." Say "eat, ate , will eat."
The Story Chain Game: Start a story in one tense and have your child continue it in the same tense. "Yesterday I went to the park. I saw a big dog." Your child continues. "The dog ran after a ball. I laughed." Keep going with the past tense.
The What's Wrong Game: Say a sentence with the wrong tense and have your child correct it. "Yesterday I go to the store." Your child says, "No, yesterday you went to the store!" "Tomorrow I ate pizza." "No, tomorrow you will eat pizza!"
The Picture Story Game: Look at a picture book without words and tell the story using different tenses. Point to a picture of children playing. "They are playing in the park." Point to a picture of them leaving. "Soon they will go home." Point to a picture of them sleeping. "Last night they were tired."
The Time Traveler Game: Pretend you have a time machine. Take turns saying where you will go and what you will do. "I will go to the time of dinosaurs. I will see a T-Rex." "I will go to the future. I will ride in a flying car."
The Question and Answer Game: Ask your child questions in different tenses and have them answer in the same tense. "What did you eat for breakfast?" "I ate cereal." "What will you do after school?" "I will play with my friend." "What are you doing right now?" "I am playing a game."
By using these tips and games, you are helping your child master the 70 most common verb tenses for a 6-year-old in a natural and enjoyable way. These time words will become a comfortable part of their language. They will use them to tell stories about the past, to describe what is happening now, and to make plans for the future. Every conversation gives them more practice. Your child will gain confidence as they learn to move between past, present, and future with ease. The more they hear and use different tenses, the more naturally these time markers will flow in their everyday speech. Soon they will be telling you long stories about what happened , what is happening , and what will happen , and you will hear their language growing more sophisticated right before your ears.