Adverbs tell how, when and where things happen, and they're a vital part of language and communication. They can be difficult for children to learn, however, and teachers must explain exactly what adverbs are and how they function. Through writing exercises and activities, children can begin to understand how adverbs work and when to use them.

Find the Adverb
Give students a list of sentences with the action verbs underlined, and instruct them to circle the adverbs. For instance, a sentence might read "The deer ran quickly across the road," and students will have to circle "quickly." Seeing the adverb in the context of a sentence, and how it modifies the verb, teaches the children that adverbs don't stand alone. Rather, they're always modifying a verb or another part of speech -- except for a noun. This exercise also helps them to recognize and understand verbs.

Adverbs vs. Adjectives
Many adverbs end in "ly," but children must understand that not all words ending in "ly" are adverbs. For this exercise, provide students with a worksheet that has sentences with two "ly" words, and have them circle the adverb. So, for instance, here is a sentence that might be used on this worksheet: "The friendly dog slept lazily in the sun." The students might be tempted to circle "friendly," since it's an "ly" word. Learning that "friendly" is an adjective that modifies a noun, however, and that "lazily" is an adverb that modifies a verb, teaches them to look carefully at the function of each word in the context of the sentence.

Acting Out Adverbs
One fun way to learn about adverbs is to act them out. Have the children perform activities, such as running on the playground, throwing balls or whispering to each other. Instruct the children to come up with words describing how they performed the activities, and explain to them that these words are adverbs. The children might say that they ran "quickly," threw "far" or whispered "quietly." Each of those words is an adverb, and once the students have performed these activities, they'll have a good understanding of what adverbs are and how they are used.

Adverbs in Art
Pass out an index card to each child with an adverb written on it. Their task will be to create a picture using crayons, pencils or paint that illustrates that word. They might get "read quietly" and draw a picture of someone reading a book in a library. Or they might get "screeched loudly," and paint a picture of a fire engine roaring down a street. Putting adverbs into action in art helps children envision how adverbs work in language, art and everyday life.