Printable Abstract and Concrete Nouns Worksheets
Printable abstract and concrete nouns worksheets for 3rd through 5th grade, with an answer key on every sheet. The sets below cover 3 different skills, so you can start where your child actually is. Available as sorting activities, fill in the blank, and word problems.
Targeted Practice by Skill
About Abstract and Concrete Nouns
What this skill is
Concrete nouns name physical people, places, or things that can be experienced through the five senses (seen, heard, touched, smelled, tasted: apple, bell, desk). Abstract nouns name intangible ideas, qualities, emotions, or states of being that cannot be perceived physically (bravery, freedom, honesty, sadness, time). Solvers master noun categorization, sensory perception checks, abstract concepts, concrete vs abstract discrimination, and conceptual vocabulary across reading and essay writing.
When children learn it
Concrete nouns are mastered in kindergarten through 2nd grade. Abstract nouns (love, peace, courage, truth, beauty) are introduced in 3rd grade and 4th grade, with advanced concept analysis and suffix-formed abstract nouns (-tion, -ness, -ment, -ty) detailed in 5th grade language arts and writing workshops.
Common Mistakes
- Thinking abstract nouns are adjectives or verbs because they cannot be physically touched or held in your hand.
- Failing to recognize emotion words (happiness, anger) as abstract concept nouns in sentence parsing exercises.
- Confusing concrete nouns that represent ideas (like a flag) with the abstract concept itself (like freedom).