Simple Opposite Words for Kids

Looking at opposite words is typically a child’s first look into antonyms and how to identify them. They might not realize it at the time, but this will be a pivotal skill for their growth in reading and understanding words. Find several simple opposite word lists for kids and activities you can use to enhance opposite word learning.

Easy Opposite Words for Kindergarteners

Kindergarteners are just learning the skill of opposites. Therefore, you’ll want to keep the opposites you offer them simple to ensure they can read and understand the words themselves. For kindergarteners just learning opposite words, you might try starting with these simple words.

bad	good
before	after
boy	girl
even	odd
fast	slow
full	empty
happy	sad
hard	easy
hot	cold
in	out
light	dark
little	big
love	hate
more	less
night	day
on	off
open	closed
tall	short
up	down
wet	dry

Fun Opposite Words Activity for Kindergarteners

Now that you’ve explored opposite words with your little kids, you might try this fun activity to really push learning. They should try to choose the opposites of the group.

Open, door, closed
Wet, dark, dry
Full, off, on
Big, little, tall
Shout, up, down
Love, hate, bad
Fast, tall, slow
Even, before, after
Even, odd, good
Night, sad, day

Simple Opposite Words for Kindergarteners

Simple opposite words kindergarteners

Click to View & Download

Opposite Words for Kids in Early Elementary

As children gain stronger reading skills, you can advance the opposite words you offer them. While still simple opposite words for kids, these words will give them a bit more of a challenge to see the opposite.

awful	excellent
blank	completed
brief	long
closed	open
difficult	easy
dim	bright
early	late
entrance	exit
far	near
funny	serious
give	take
healthy	sick
heavy	light
import	export
inside	outside
kind	cruel
laugh	cry
left	right
liquid	solid
normal	strange
opposite	same
rich	poor
start	finish
sunny	cloudy
sweet	sour
thick	thin
tiny	huge
victory	defeat
visible	invisible
wide	narrow

Opposite Word Activity for Early Elementary

Those were definitely fun opposites. Now you can let kids try an activity using these opposites that are a little harder. Have them match up the opposites. And if it is a little hard, they can always refer back to their opposite chart!

Simple Opposite Words for Early Elementary

Simple opposite words early elementary

Click to View & Download

Opposite Words Describing People and Things

There are a lot of different opposite words for kids out there. Not only can they describe people but they can describe different things that are around your house.

ally	enemy
ask	reply
awake	asleep
cheap	expensive
child	adult
deep	shallow
fancy	plain
honest	dishonest
interesting	boring
long	short
man	woman
many	few
messy	neat
modern	ancient
powerful	weak
pretty	ugly
rich	wealthy
rude	polite
sharp	blunt
shiny	dull
single	married
skinny	fat
sunny	cloudy
tight	loose
top	bottom

To help demonstrate these words, you might look at things around your house or even people you know. Using cartoons or movies can also be a great way to show opposites like “Flynn Rider” is an ally to “Rapunzel” while “Gothel” can be an enemy.

Harder Opposite Words for Kids

Are you ready to give the kids a real challenge? You might try introducing a few harder opposite words for your kiddos to try out.

amateur	professional
clever	foolish
employed	unemployed
humid	dry
junior	senior
major	minor
married	single
natural	artificial
peace	war
poverty	wealth
regret	satisfaction
remember	forget
special	general
supporter	opponent
together	separate
truth	lie
unity	division
useful	useless
visitor	host
youth	adulthood

The Fun of Finding Opposites

Learning about opposites is a pivotal skill for kids, since this is their first real understanding of comparing and contrasting two things. While it might seem like a simple skill, it’s pivotal to their future learning and reading.

Don’t let your fun with opposites stop here. Instead, keep the fun going through fun kindergarten opposite activities. You can also figure out how to find the opposites of words and simple ways to make opposites.