Children's adjectives list


A Giant List of Adjectives to Describe Kids

ByLauren @ Simply-Well-Balanced

  • Facebook213

Words are powerful. This is especially true when you consider the words that you choose to describe your child - or children you work with. Today we are sharing a huge list of adjectives about kids to increase self-confidence and esteem in children.

Adjectives About Kids: Using the Power of Words to Increase Confidence

What's Inside:

As a teacher and parent, I know first hand how true that quote is.

I have seen behaviors, attitudes and self-esteem completely transformed in my classroom just by carefully choosing words to describe kids in a positive light. 

You see, if a child repeatedly hears someone describe them using positive words, eventually they start to believe what they are hearing.

Because I have seen how powerful words can be, I have become more intentional with the words I use to describe the behavior, actions and personalities of my own children - and I encourage you to do the same.

Adjectives are describing words and you can pretty much guarantee that the words kids grow up hearing are the same words they will end up using to describe themselves as adults. 

How to Use Adjectives to Describe Kids

Adjectives about kids can be used in a variety of ways:

  • As a parent trying to improve the self-esteem of your own child.
  • As a teacher looking for descriptions to include in report cards or progress reports.
  • As a coach or counselor trying to find words to describe the positive personality traits you see in the kids youre working with. 

No matter why you are looking for adjectives to describe children, its helpful to understand why being as specific as possible is very important.

Oftentimes we get in the habit of using the same generic phrases like cute or smart on repeat. 

When children hear these same terms repeated over and over they actually become meaningless.

Here are some tips on using adjectives to describe kids:

  • Use phrases that are as unique and individualized as possible.
  • Avoid focusing on appearance for compliments. You dont want a childs self-worth to be connected to the way they look.
  • Consider characteristics that set them apart from others.
  • Try to rephrase challenging aspects of their personality in a positive way that highlights how they can use them as strengths (ie instead of stubborn, describe them as determined).
  • Use these words and phrases in everyday conversation so they frequently hear themselves being described using positive words.
  • Write the words on post-it notes and leave them for your child to find in their room, on the bathroom mirror or inside their favorite book.
  • Utilize them as part of a daily affirmation routine.
  • Be genuine - kids can tell when youre not being authentic. Be sure that the words you use accurately describe your child and how you feel about them - even if its just some of the time.
  • Have your child (or students) choose words from this list of adjectives for describing kids to make a poster or collage about themselves.

When used consistently these words will become a natural part of your daily routine and your child will become accustomed to hearing themselves in a positive light every day.

Now lets get on to the list!

150 Positive Adjectives About Kids

Adjectives to Describe a Child’s Strengths

  • Determined
  • Motivated
  • Positive
  • Trustworthy
  • Artistic
  • Brave 
  • Creative
  • Diligent
  • Friendly
  • Forgiving
  • Imaginative
  • Inventive
  • Motivated
  • Observant
  • Persistent
  • Reliable
  • Resourceful
  • Understanding
  • Unique
  • Hard-working
  • Involved
  • Self-starting
  • Flexible
  • Organized
  • Structured
  • Efficient
  • Adaptable
  • Articulate
  • Clever
  • Persistent
  • Leader
  • Self-reliant
  • Detail oriented
  • Tough
  • Open-minded
  • Industrious
  • Tenacious
  • Communicative
  • Talented
  • Skilled
  • Willing to try
  • Knowledgeable
  • Confident
  • Ambitious
  • Authentic
  • Original
  • Enterprising
  • Fierce
  • Gifted
  • Believable
  • Meticulous

Adjectives to Describe a Kid’s Personality

  • Compassionate
  • Loyal
  • Adventurous
  • Charming
  • Faithful
  • Cautious
  • Polite
  • Magnetic
  • Dynamic
  • Nurturing
  • Cheerful
  • Practical
  • Selective
  • Enchanting
  • Selective
  • Logical
  • Endearing
  • Understanding
  • Entertaining
  • Sensitive
  • Aware
  • Tolerant
  • Spontaneous
  • Charismatic
  • Attentive
  • Opinionated
  • Courageous
  • Approachable
  • Affectionate
  • Easy-going
  • Accepting
  • Effervescent
  • Funny
  • Honest
  • Reflective
  • Hopeful
  • Methodical
  • Inquisitive
  • Talkative
  • Devoted
  • Steadfast
  • Patient
  • Contemplative
  • Insightful
  • Joyful
  • Loving
  • Optimistic
  • Passionate
  • Mindful
  • Aware
  • Calm
  • Resilient
  • Self-Confident
  • Witty
  • Independent
  • Hilarious
  • Philosophical
  • Logical
  • Realistic
  • Unconventional
  • Delightful
  • Modest

Words to Describe A Child’s Behavior

  • Consistent
  • Responsible
  • Kind
  • Daring
  • Considerate 
  • Energetic
  • Fearless
  • Generous
  • Gentle
  • Courteous
  • Helpful
  • Playful
  • Fiery
  • Social
  • Spirited
  • Zestful
  • Thoughtful
  • Confident
  • Cooperative
  • Spunky
  • Reserved
  • Exuberant
  • Expressive
  • Supportive
  • Animated
  • Focused
  • Expressive
  • Eager
  • Intense
  • Assertive
  • Respectful
  • Bold
  • Gutsy

Conclusion

Overtime, your child will begin to integrate the words they hear you use to describe them into their own sense of self worth. Those words and phrases will become a part of their identity and form a foundation of self-confidence and strength.

Lauren @ Simply-Well-Balanced

Hi, I'm Lauren Tingley; a working, teacher-mom of two who tried to "do it all" and ended up losing myself in the process. Determined to find joy in modern motherhood I discovered simplifying was the answer. Now I share tips for fun family activities, minimalist homemaking and simple parenting advice on Simply Well Balanced for families looking to create more balance in their homes. My ideas and advice has been shared by Parents Magazine, Good Housekeeping and Women's First.Read more about me! Or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram

Excellent Adjectives for Kids- A Comprehensive List

Young children start learning about people and their surroundings from an early age, which is why teaching them adjectives is the perfect way to give them a solid foundation from which they can experience the world and build their vocabulary. In addition, by learning how to use descriptive adjectives to describe these experiences, kids start to feel more in control of their own world. The value of adjectives for kids comes from their ability to characterise a noun, giving more detailed and imaginative information about the object of discussion. 

By adding the ability to visualise something more clearly, a reader can learn to convey feelings with more emotion and to describe exactly what you want using precise language. Do you want your child to expand their vocabulary by learning age-appropriate adjectives for kids for just 20 minutes every day? Then you should get the KidSmart app. KidSmart is more than just being one of those writing apps for kids, but a tried and tested educational tool geared towards critical thinking and self-learning through games and interactive activities. 

Here’s a list of common adjectives for kids that you can start teaching based on their reading and interaction levels:

Contents

  • 1 Adjectives for Kids by Grade (US) or Year (UK)
    • 1. 1 Grade 1
    • 1.2 Grade 2 – 3
  • 2 Download practice worksheet packs
    • 2.1 Grade 4 – 6
  • 3 Classifying Adjectives: Grammar for Kids
  • 4 How KidSmart Can Help Writing for Kids
  • 5 Download Practice Packs
  • 6 More Reading

Adjectives for Kids by Grade (US) or Year (UK)

Grade

1

The following list of describing words are commonly used.

Colours: blue, green, purple, orange, black, white, pink, red, yellow

Size: big, small, short, tall, fat, thin

Sounds: loud, quiet

Shapes: round, square, oval, triangular

Numbers: one, two, few, many

Touch/Texture: rough, smooth, soft, hard

Weather: sunny, rainy, windy, dark, light, cloudy

Grade

2 – 3

Alphabetising the common adjectives for kids can help them learn the describing words and their respective meanings more quickly and organise their learning process. This will also allow them to find adjectives that start with a specific letter more conveniently and explore other options more easily.

Letters A-C: angry, bumpy, busy, brave,  crispy, cruel, cheerful, chilly

Letters D-H: dangerous, deep, dirty, dry, empty, equal, easy freezing, funny, fat, fluffy, furry, fuzzy, huge

Letters I-N: itchy, icy, juicy, kind, lazy, long, lumpy, left, large, mean, messy, naughty, new, nice

Letters O-R: oily, old, plump, pretty, proud, quick, ready, ripe, right

Letters S-Z: short, simple, slimy, sloppy, slow, spiky, spoiled, sticky, stiff, still, stinky, strong, swollen, thin, tiny, tricky, ugly, weak, wise, wrong, wet

Download practice worksheet packs

Download Adjectives for Grade 3 Kids Pack 1

Grade

4 – 6

Letters A-C: able, adventurous, absurd,  apologetic, aware, alert, amusing, ancient, annoyed, anxious, bitter, brilliant, bashful, beautiful, bulky, capable, cautious, creative, creepy, cruel, curly, challenging, charming, clever, compassionate, cosy, cranky
You can learn many more adjectives for kids that start with a or start with b.

Letters D – H: damp, daring, delicate, delicious, disrespectful, dreadful, dull, ecstatic, endless, enormous, entertaining, exhausted, fantastic, foolish, frightened, furious, fussy, gentle, gigantic, gorgeous, graceful
Take a deep dive into many more adjectives that begin with e.

Letters I – N: innocent, icky, intelligent, infinite, jaded, joyful, jolly, jumpy, kind-hearted, kindly, knowledgeable, likely, lousy, loyal, lucky, marvellous, naive, nervous, nimble
Familiarise yourself with many excellent adjectives for kids that start with j, with m and with n.

Letters O – S: optimistic, oval, petite, pleasant, polite, precise, prickly, salty, shocking, slick, slippery, sour, sparkling, straight, stubborn, stunning
Jump to the list of excellent adjectives for kids that start with r and that start with s.

Letters T – Z: temporary, terrified, timid, tricky, truthful, whimsical, young, yummy

Classifying Adjectives: Grammar for Kids

There are different kinds of descriptive adjectives in the English language, all of which will at some point or the other be a solid stepping stone towards improving grammar for kids as they get older and advance through the school system. After organising the words in alphabetical order, these descriptive adjectives have been further sorted into categories for greater understanding and can be quite useful when preparing for promotional exams, such as the CEM and 11+.  

Proper Adjectives 

These adjectives are derived from proper nouns and are used to describe something in terms of culture, nationality, or religious affiliation. 

Some examples of proper adjectives include: African, Asian, British, French, Japanese, Latino, American, Australian, Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish

Food Adjectives

There are many words that can be used to conjure tasteful images when discussing food choices. With the proper adjective definition for kids, they can understand the difference between a “ tasty, cheesy, homemade, spaghetti with meatballs” and a “regular mass-produced fast food pasta,” Some examples include: 

Sweets: sugary, chocolatey, syrupy, minty, 

Fruits: ripe, sour, juicy, tart, acidic

Dairy: Cheesy, buttery, creamy

Beef: Chewy, peppery, spicy, marinated, lean, dry

Cereal: crunchy, soggy, flakey, nutty

Adjectives for Describing a Person

There are many terms that can be used to describe people in terms of their physical appearance and personality traits. It is important for your child to have these words in their written and spoken vocabulary because as they grow older, they will at some point, face a situation that requires them to describe someone. Some examples include: 

Characteristics and Traits: clever, creative, kind, generous, considerate, flexible, mysterious

Personality traits: calm, humble, arrogant, proud, charismatic, mean

Physical Appearance: straight hair, cropped hair, blonde, brunette, lanky, dwarfish, plump, skinny 

Learn many more adjectives to describe a person.

Happy Adjectives

These words are great for describing jubilant situations, helping children create strong descriptions for a party or celebration scenes like their last birthday or playdate. 

Examples include: beaming, joyous, blissful, joyful, delightful, pleased, cheerful, jovial, jolly, glad, thrilled, elated, gleeful, sunny

Peaceful Adjectives

These words are used to describe a state of serenity. Some examples include: serene, calm, harmonious, peaceful, nonviolent, quiet, undisturbed, still, soothing, tranquil, relaxing, restful

Sporty Adjectives

Many school curricula include a variety of sporting events as part of their physical education activities, so your children have most likely come across these types of adjectives. 

Examples include: accurate, active, agile, athletic, frenetic, skilful, speedy, swift, slick, 

Adjectives to Describe a Place

These descriptive words can serve as a springboard for the new territory that your child visits or reads about. By learning the right adjectives to describe a location, they become even more interested in learning more about the world outside of their immediate surroundings. 

Some examples include: gigantic, grassy, exotic near, far, tidy, spacious, spooky, smelly, lively

How KidSmart Can Help Writing for Kids

Because descriptive adjectives are so common in everyday conversations and learning materials, learning more about them is vital to creating and speaking grammatically correct sentences. KidSmart can help achieve this through its array of gamification strategies and activities that are designed for 

  • Progressive Grammar – The app follows progressive development methodology and introduces new concepts based on the level of understanding specific to your child.
  • Spelling – Since KidSmart is geared towards the UK curriculum, it presents words that are relevant for the child’s year and tests them multiple times to assess their confidence level. It then adjusts the difficulty level automatically based on the responses.
  • Vocabulary Building – As your kids progress, new words are introduced with meaning and usage examples. They also have access to the Oxford Dictionary at any time. 

Download Practice Packs

Download Adjectives for Grade 3 Kids Pack 1

More Reading

Adjectives with S
What’s an adjective?
BBC: What are adjectives for year 2-3?

Children's Descriptive Adjective List

Children's Descriptive Adjective List can help students understand this part of speech and improve their writing. Describing words for children should focus on adjectives that children have heard or words that are easy for them to pronounce and spell.



What are descriptive adjectives and words?

Words that describe people, places, and things, or nouns, are called adjectives. You can remember this by thinking, "the adjective adds something."



  • A descriptive adjective is one of the three main types of adjectives.
  • Descriptive adjectives or descriptive words give detailed information about a subject.
  • Descriptive adjectives can help you understand what something looks like, how many it is, what size it is, or what it's made of.
Related Articles
  • Homeschooling Myths
  • What is School Dropout
  • List of Adjectives

Examples of descriptive adjectives for children

Having an extensive list of descriptive adjectives handy can help children improve their vocabulary. You can look at the list of adjectives to see how some describe the words and how others tell you different details about the noun.



dirty truth or dare questions for teenagers

Appearance adjectives

If you need an adjective to describe a child or adult, you can use words that describe their appearance, size, or age in detail. Whenever possible, try to use positive words that describe the person. Ready Zany

Adjectives to describe emotions and feelings

Children have a lot of emotions and they often have very big feelings. Different emotion words can help you express exactly how you feel.



Printable Adjective List

Descriptive Adjective Tips

Learning adjectives can be challenging for kids, but it can also be a lot of fun. Look for creative ways to share adjective examples to make the most of these grammar lessons.

  • Buy or print flash cards with descriptive adjectives. Hold up a picture of a person, animal, or other noun and let the children sort through the stack of cards to find the right word to describe the picture.
  • After the child writes a paragraph or story, circle all of its adjectives and invite them to come up with new adjectives that could be used instead of the ones circled.
  • Use crazy library spelling to help kids learn different adjectives with humor.
  • Encourage children to combine adjectives when describing things like "adorable brown dog" rather than just "dog."
  • Teach your child to use a thesaurus or a children's dictionary to spice up their writing and keep a list of new adjectives they discover.
  • You can also try banning certain common adjectives to help your child think outside the box and make their writing more alive.

Describe in detail

Writing in elementary school is important because this is the time when children really develop their own vocabulary and writing style. Each descriptive adjective means something very specific, and children can study lists of words to find the correct adjective to use at the moment. Being able to describe things using the right details will help kids improve their communication skills and have fun with English.

funny questions to ask your boyfriend

Adjectives characterizing a person from the good side

Heading: For every day

Here is the most complete list of adjectives that positively characterize a person. The list does not include obscene words and words that are professional terms used by a narrow circle of people for professional purposes (not in colloquial speech).

The list does not include such words as: “beautiful”, “blue-eyed”, “stately”, “slender” and the like. They describe appearance, but (although they are adjectives used to describe a person) they are not related to character and are unable to shed light on personality traits.

Please note: the list contains words that can be both an adjective and participle (depending on the context in which the word is used at any given time).

Also, remember that some words are neutral in color and characterize a person from the good side only depending on the context in which it is used. But in the same way, it can be used not as a characteristic of positive personality traits, but simply as a statement of fact (without a specific coloring).

If you need the most complete list of adjectives that characterize a person (both positively and negatively), you can find it at the link above.

A

  • Adventurous (positive characterizes if used in a good way)
  • Adequate
  • Gambling (here in the meaning - a positively gambling person, for example - an athlete or passionate about study, work, i.e. - very enthusiastic)
  • Active
  • Neat
  • Altruistic (altruistic)
  • Ambitious (if positively ambitious, in a good sense, we are talking about healthy ambitions of an adequate person)
  • Apolitical
  • Ascetic without violating the rights of others)
  • Artistic
  • Aristocratic

B

  • Alert
  • Harmless
  • Fearless

g

  • Galant
  • Harmonic
  • Genetic
  • Heroic
  • Thread
  • Deep (not empty, filled person)
  • Talking
  • Golovasty
  • Hot (if used positively)
  • Hospitable
  • Literate
  • Humane
  • Gutta-percha

D

  • Forethly
  • Darovite
  • VELE
  • Business
  • Democratic
  • daring (sometimes insolence is required for the implementation of bold entities and this personality capacity becomes positive)
  • Derminent (cm above. as daring)
  • Active
  • Diplomatic
  • Disciplined
  • Valiant
  • Kind
  • Kindest
  • Company
  • SECRENTY
  • Comfortable (for example: Comfortable in communication, in solving disputed issues, etc.)
  • specific
  • competitive
  • conservative
  • Creative Creative Creative Creative Creative
  • Painstaking
  • Meek
  • Cultural

L

  • Concise
  • Affectionate
  • Light (here, not light by weight. For example: easy to communicate, easy to get on with, etc.)
  • Lyric (neutral characterizes, but in some cases it is a positive property)
  • Loyal
  • Loving
  • Affable
  • Inquisitive
  • Curious (for some situations, professions, this personality trait is positive)
  • Loving

M

  • Slow-speaking
  • Insensitive (under certain circumstances, such a character trait can be positive)
  • Mannery
  • Skilled
  • Seasoned (here in the meaning - very experienced, knowledgeable in something)
  • Melancholic (neutrally characterizes In some cases, it is a positive characteristic. For example, when it is required to exclude people of choleric temperament from the candidates under consideration ... in this case, characterizing him as "melancholy" will do him good)
  • Powerful
  • Fashion
  • Moral
  • Motivated
  • Wise
  • Wise
  • Wise
  • Musical
  • POSITIVE - SOMENTIVE OF THE DIRECTIVE OF THE DIRECTIONALARY (MOUSENTED WEAR. description, sometimes - can serve as a negative feature)
  • Thinking
  • Soft (here in the meaning - soft in character, not to the touch)
  • Soft -hearted

N

  • Supervisory
  • Assettle
  • Reliable
  • Nacked
  • assertive
  • Poster (in a good way. assertiveness)
  • Well-read
  • Not indifferent
  • Not indifferent
  • Undemanding
  • Unflappable
  • NOT Military
  • Infant (a useful property for ... for example - a surgeon and other specialists where a certain share of insensibility is required to fulfill their professional tasks)
  • Negro -cost
  • Non -dry
  • non -wire
  • Understanding ( useful property for a man, rather negative for a woman)
  • Gentle
  • Independent
  • Disinterested (a useful feature when it is required to be disinterested in something in order to be objective)
  • Principly
  • Unfinous
  • Uncessive
  • Unrealistic
  • Non -sounding
  • Non -sound
  • Non -melodious
  • Empowered (neutral ponds. cockroaches")
  • Innocent
  • Uncorrupted
  • Incorrigible
  • Non-contentious
  • Unselfish
  • Unnecessary
  • Unkind
  • unemotional (it can positively characterize a person if the lack of emotionality, equanimity, excerpt, etc.)
  • Normal
9000 6 Overdrative
  • is an overturn
  • Educated
  • Sociable
  • Objective
  • Obligatory
  • Gifted
  • Obsessed (here in the meaning - obsessed with work, business, etc.)
  • positive
  • Darkly
  • Clearly
  • consistent (for example: consistent in actions, in decisions, etc.)
  • POSITIVE
  • Plastic
  • Useful
  • Complex Complex Complete
  • Positive
  • Popular
  • Amazing
  • Decent
  • Dedicated
  • Consistent
  • obedient
  • permanent (here in the meaning - constant in its views, principles, attitude, etc.)
  • Fiercore
  • Stunning
  • Villatory
  • Truthful
  • righteous
  • Correct
  • Pragmatic
  • Practical
  • Excellent
  • Devotee (here meaning faithful)
  • Kind
  • Predictable
  • 9003 in the meaning - who can do a lot with his hands, is capable of a lot with his hands)

    С

    • Original
    • Self-sufficient
    • Self-forgetful
    • Strong (not necessarily physically strong, for example: a strong-minded person, mentally strong, mentally strong, etc. ) e.)
    • Skeptical
    • Modest
    • Scrupulous
    • Loquacious
    • Complicated (for example, complexly organized, etc. this can be both a negative characteristic and a positive one. This word can be characterized from a good side only if attached to it positive coloring in the context)
    • Stable (constant, durable, sensible, emotionally stabil, socially stable, etc.)
    • Stepnoy
    • Strongly
    • Passionate
    • Strong-resistant
    Happy Happy .
    • Tactful
    • Talented
    • Solid (here it means a reliable, stubborn, courageous, inflexible person)
    • Creative
    • Lucky
    • Amazing
    • Squeezing
    • Smiling
    • Skillful
    • Moderate
    • Corneled
    • Smart
    • Unique
    • Covered, Objective, Objective. depends on the context and circumstances)
    • Balanced
    • Diligent
    • Diligent
    • Helpful
    • Successful
    • Conductive
    • Sounded
    • Sleep
    • Scientist
    • Calid
    • Sustainable (for example: Mentally, emotionally, professionally, etc. )

    9000

    • Fanatic (for example, fanatically devoted to work, family, children, children, children, children, children, children, children, children, children, children, children etc.)
    • Fantasizing
    • Lucky (from the word "luck")
    • Lucky (depending on the context - in some cases it serves as a positive, negative or neutral characteristic)
    • Philosophical (for example: philosophical-minded, philosophical-reasoning, etc.)
    • Phlegmatic (neutral characteristic, but phlegmatic can be considered a virtue when a person of a phlegmatic type is required, and all other types are undesirable)
    • Photogenic
    • Fundamental (here in the meaning - strong, strong)

    Х

    • Charismatic
    • Cold-blooded
    • Hospitable
    • Economically competent (economically prepared)
    • Expert
    • Extravagant (sometimes this word can be positively described, sometimes - negatively. Depends on the context)
    • Emotional
    • Empathetic (capable of empathy)
    • Extraordial
    • Outrageous
    • Elite
    • Spectacular

    Yu

    • Humorous
    • Homornaya
    • Young
    • Legally competent/illiterate
    • Yurkiy

    I

    • Language
    • Bright
    • Yarny (on any person’s inclinations. For example: Yarny defender of children, ardent reformer, yokeless unit and lazy , an ardent hater of fools)
    • Furious (here, as above - a fierce fan of his profession, for example)
    • Clairvoyant

    Note:
    • All of the above words can positively characterize both a man and a woman, a teenager and in many cases a child. To do this, you need to change the ending of each word, changing the gender of the word from masculine to feminine.
    • This list of words is useful when creating a profile, resume, self-presentation, cover letter (when looking for a job), essays and is applicable wherever it is required to describe a person (his character traits, behavioral characteristics, personality traits, etc.
    Angry Baby Content capricious
    Burely enjoyed upset exhausted

    Learn more