Simple past tense tells us about things that already happened. It describes actions that started and finished in the past. Words like played, ate, went, saw, and made are all simple past verbs. For a six-year-old, simple past is essential for telling stories and sharing what they did. Learning the 70 most common simple past verbs for a 6-year-old gives children the tools to talk about yesterday, last week, and everything that came before now. These words are the key to sharing memories and experiences.
Meaning of Simple Past Simple past tense has one main job. It talks about actions that are completely finished. They started and ended in the past.
Actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The time is often mentioned or understood.
I played outside yesterday.
She ate breakfast at 7 o'clock.
We went to the park last weekend.
He saw a deer in the woods.
Actions that happened repeatedly in the past but don't happen now.
I visited my grandma every summer.
She walked to school when she was little.
We played this game all the time.
They lived in that house for many years.
A series of actions in the past, one after another.
I woke up, got dressed, and ate breakfast.
She came home, did her homework, and watched TV.
We packed our bags, got in the car, and drove to the beach.
For a six-year-old, simple past is the tense they use to tell you what they did at school, what happened at the park, or what they ate for lunch.
When we talk about the 70 most common simple past verbs for a 6-year-old, we mean the past tense forms of the verbs children use most often in their daily conversations.
Conjugation of Simple Past Simple past has two types of verbs: regular and irregular. Regular verbs follow a pattern. Irregular verbs have special forms that children must memorize.
Regular past tense adds -ed to the base form of the verb.
play → played
walk → walked
jump → jumped
talk → talked
help → helped
Spelling rules for regular past tense:
For verbs ending in e, just add -d.
dance → danced
like → liked
love → loved
For verbs ending in consonant + y, change y to i and add -ed.
cry → cried
try → tried
carry → carried
For short verbs ending in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the last letter and add -ed.
stop → stopped
hop → hopped
drop → dropped
Irregular past tense verbs have special forms that do not follow rules.
go → went
eat → ate
see → saw
come → came
have → had
do → did
make → made
run → ran
swim → swam
sing → sang
The verb be has two past forms: was and were.
I was
You were
He/She/It was
We were
They were
For a six-year-old, learning irregular past verbs takes time and practice. They will make mistakes like "I goed to the store," and that is okay. Gently model the correct form back to them.
Past Tense Examples Here are examples of simple past verbs in action. These are the kinds of sentences six-year-olds use every day.
Regular past tense examples:
I played with my friend.
She walked to school.
We jumped on the trampoline.
They talked to the teacher.
He helped his mom.
It rained all day.
You asked a good question.
Irregular past tense examples:
I went to the zoo.
She ate a sandwich.
We saw a rainbow.
He came to my party.
They had a good time.
I made a card for you.
You ran very fast.
She swam in the pool.
He sang a song.
We drank all the juice.
The verb be in past tense:
I was happy.
You were funny.
He was tired.
She was sad.
It was cold.
We were at school.
They were late.
Negative sentences in past tense use did not or was not/were not.
I did not play outside.
She did not eat her lunch.
He was not there.
They were not ready.
We did not see the movie.
Questions with Simple Past Asking questions in simple past helps children find out about past events and experiences.
Yes/No questions with did put did at the beginning. The main verb goes back to base form.
Did I play well?
Did you eat breakfast?
Did he go to school?
Did she see the movie?
Did we win the game?
Did they come home?
Yes/No questions with was/were put was or were at the beginning.
Was I good ?
Were you tired ?
Was he there ?
Was she happy ?
Were we late ?
Were they ready ?
Wh- questions with did start with a question word followed by did.
What did you do ?
Where did she go ?
When did we eat ?
Why did he cry ?
How did they get here?
Wh- questions with was/were start with a question word followed by was or were.
Who was that?
What was that noise?
Where were you?
Why was she sad?
How were they?
Here are some question examples children ask every day:
"What did you do at school?"
"Where did Daddy go ?"
" Did you see my toy?"
"Why was the baby crying ?"
" Were you scared ?"
Other Uses of Simple Past Simple past has several other important uses in English. Learning these helps children understand more complex language.
Telling stories and narrating events. Stories almost always use past tense.
"Once upon a time, there was a little bear. He lived in a forest. One day, he found a honey tree."
Talking about imaginary situations with phrases like "If I had..."
"If I had a million dollars, I would buy a castle."
"I wish I knew how to fly."
Polite questions and requests sometimes use past tense to be more polite.
" Did you want something?"
"I wondered if you could help me."
Reported speech when telling what someone said.
"She said she was tired."
"He told me he liked my drawing."
For a six-year-old, the most important use is talking about real past events. The other uses will come with time.
Categories or Lists: The 70 Most Common Simple Past Verbs Here is a practical list of the 70 most common simple past verbs for a 6-year-old. These are the past tense forms children use most often.
Regular Past Verbs (25 words)
played
walked
jumped
talked
helped
asked
answered
looked
watched
listened
painted
colored
washed
brushed
cleaned
picked
pushed
pulled
kicked
climbed
crawled
danced
laughed
cried
smiled
Irregular Past Verbs - Common Actions (25 words) 26. went 27. came 28. ate 29. drank 30. slept 31. woke 32. ran 33. swam 34. rode 35. drove 36. flew 37. sang 38. drew 39. wrote 40. read 41. spoke 42. told 43. said 44. heard 45. saw 46. found 47. lost 48. broke 49. fixed 50. made
Irregular Past Verbs - States and Changes (10 words) 51. was 52. were 53. had 54. did 55. got 56. gave 57. took 58. brought 59. bought 60. sold
Irregular Past Verbs - Thinking and Feeling (10 words) 61. thought 62. knew 63. understood 64. forgot 65. remembered 66. wanted 67. needed 68. liked 69. loved 70. hated
Daily Life Examples with Simple Past The best way to teach simple past is to use it naturally in everyday conversations. Children learn these verbs best when they hear them in context.
After school: "What did you do today? I played with my friends. We built a tower. I ate my lunch. My teacher read us a story."
At dinner: "How was your day? It was good. What did you have for snack? I had an apple. Did you play outside? Yes, we played on the swings."
Weekend talk: "What did you do yesterday? We went to the park. I saw a squirrel. I climbed the ladder. I went down the slide."
Bedtime chat: "What was the best part of your day? I liked painting. I made a picture for you. I felt happy when you came to get me."
Telling stories: "Once upon a time, I was very little. I crawled on the floor. I drank from a bottle. I slept in a crib."
When something happened: "Oh no! I dropped my cookie. It broke into pieces. I felt sad. But then Mommy gave me another one."
Printable Flashcards for Simple Past Flashcards are a wonderful tool for learning simple past verbs. You can make them together, which makes the learning even more meaningful.
To make simple past flashcards, you will need index cards or thick paper, markers, and crayons. On one side of the card, write the simple past verb. On the other side, write the base form and draw a simple picture.
For example:
"played" with a picture of children playing and "play" written small
"ate" with a picture of someone eating and "eat" written small
"went" with a picture of someone going and "go" written small
"saw" with a picture of eyes looking and "see" written small
"was" with a picture of a person and "am/is" written small
Here are some fun ways to use your flashcards:
Matching game: Make pairs of cards with the base form and the past form. Match "play" with "played." Match "go" with "went." Match "see" with "saw."
Sentence building: Pick a card and use it in a sentence about yesterday. "Yesterday I played outside." "Last week we went to the zoo."
Regular and irregular sorting: Have your child sort the cards into regular verbs (add -ed) and irregular verbs (special forms).
Question practice: Pick a card and ask a question with did. " Did you play yesterday?" " Did she go to school?"
Story cards: Pick several cards and use them to tell a story about what happened. "First we went to the park. Then we played on the swings. We saw a duck. We ate a snack."
Learning Activities or Games Games make learning simple past fun and memorable. Here are some games you can play with your child to practice these important verbs.
The Yesterday Game: Take turns saying what you did yesterday. "Yesterday I played outside." "Yesterday I ate pizza." "Yesterday I saw a movie." This practices past tense naturally.
The Story Chain Game: Start a story in past tense and have your child continue it. "Once upon a time, a little bear went for a walk. He saw a big tree." Your child continues. "He climbed the tree. He found some honey." Keep going.
The What Happened? Game: Do an action and then say what you did. (Jump) "I jumped !" (Clap) "I clapped !" Then have your child do actions and say what they did.
The Memory Game: Take turns saying what you did, adding one new thing each time. "I went to the park." Next person: "I went to the park and ate ice cream." Next: "I went to the park, ate ice cream, and saw a squirrel."
The Find the Difference Game: Look at two similar pictures and talk about what was different in the past. "In this picture, the boy had a red shirt. In this picture, he wore a blue shirt."
The Story Time Past Tense Hunt: When you read stories together, have your child raise their hand every time they hear a past tense verb. "The bear walked through the forest. He saw a bee hive. He wanted the honey." This builds listening skills.
The Interview Game: Pretend to be a reporter asking about yesterday. "What did you eat for breakfast?" "I ate cereal." "Where did you go after school?" "I went to the park."
The Regular and Irregular Race: Call out a base verb and have your child say the past form as fast as they can. "Play!" "Played!" "Go!" "Went!" "See!" "Saw!" See how fast they can go.
By using these examples, flashcards, and games, you are helping your child master the 70 most common simple past verbs for a 6-year-old in a natural and enjoyable way. These past tense words will become a comfortable part of their language. They will use them to tell stories, to share memories, and to talk about everything that happened before now. Every conversation gives them more practice. Your child will gain confidence as they learn to use both regular and irregular past forms correctly. The more they hear and use simple past, the more naturally these words will flow in their everyday speech. Soon they will be telling you long stories about what they did , where they went , and what they saw , and you will hear their language growing richer with every tale they tell.