100 Powerful Verbs for Kids
- Age
- 7–9, 10–12
- Skills
- vocabulary · sentence structure
Strong verbs do more work than any adjective. Swapping “went” for “stormed” or “said” for “whispered” instantly makes writing sharper and more vivid.
These verbs are grouped by the weak word they can replace, so children can up-level their writing in seconds.
How to use this
- Find a weak verb in your child's writing and swap it for a stronger one.
- Match the verb to the feeling: “muttered” and “yelled” both mean “said” but feel very different.
Instead of “went”
Instead of “said”
Instead of “looked”
Instead of “ate/drank”
He went to the door and said hello.
He crept to the door and whispered hello.
💡 Two verb swaps change the whole mood.
She looked at the cake and ate it.
She gazed at the cake and devoured it.
💡 Stronger verbs show, not tell.
Success checklist
- ✅ I can replace a weak verb with a more powerful one.
- ✅ I can choose a verb that matches the mood I want.
See how strong your child's writing is
Upload a piece of your child's writing to Nuliko and get free, personalised feedback.
Get free writing feedbackRelated free resources
How to Help Your Child Improve Their Writing: A Practical Guide
A practical guide for parents: before-and-after examples, a 5-minute activity, coaching phrases and the sentence-improvement ladder — for children aged 4–12.
How to Help Your Child Show Emotion in Writing
A practical guide for parents: how to teach show, don't tell with a step-by-step 5-minute activity, age-by-age examples, and coaching phrases to use with your child tonight.
My Child Hates Writing — What Should I Do?
A practical guide for parents of reluctant writers: a diagnostic quiz to identify why, a specific 5-minute fix for each type, and coaching phrases to use tonight.
What a Good Year 4 Story Looks Like
Developing, Secure and Strong Year 4 writing examples with annotations, a parent-friendly skills breakdown, and how to use Nuliko to find your child's next step.