Understanding and using pronouns: ‘his’ and ‘her’

Why is this important?
‘His’ and ‘her’ are used to signal that something belongs or relates to a man/lady, boy/girl (or male/female animal) previously identified in a sentence (e.g. the boy wears ‘his’ shoes, the girl likes ‘her’ new bike).

What to do

• Find a catalogue or magazine and cut out a picture of a boy and girl – there are also many commercial products available.
• Cut out lots of pictures of clothes and toys. Try to find similar items (e.g. a girl’s coat and a boy’s coat; a bike for the girl and one for the boy).
• Divide the clothes and toys between the boy and the girl. Ask the child to find:

‘His hat.’
‘Her shoes.’
‘Her bike.’

• If the child chooses the wrong picture: Praise the child: ‘Good try.’ Repeat the question emphasising the pronoun: ‘You’ve found the girl’s bike,that’s her bike; can you find his bike?’
• If there is no spontaneous correction, guide the child’s hand to the right picturerepeating the pronoun: ‘This is the boy’s bike, it’s his bike.’
• When the child is consistently choosing the right person/picture, reverse the roles so that the child is asking you to find ‘his coat’, etc.