How do I explain the verbs: (Have, Do, and Be) in the Past and Present form to a 3rd grader?

Ms. Sue found this site for helping verbs, but you can find links to many other aspects of verbs from here:

http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/verb/1help.htm

You may also find good information and ideas in these sites:

http://members.cox.net/lenco1/grammarpractice/ (Use the verbs and verbals links.)

http://english-zone.com/index.php?ID=1
(There may be something useful in the Grammar Blast quizzes on the right.)

http://www.chompchomp.com/menu.htm
(Click on Terms and then Verbs. You may also find the Handouts helpful.)

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/

Also -- click on Grammar on the left, and go into different links that might be helpful. Note that there are two pages to this linked group of grammar websites.

Explain that we use different verbs for action that is happening now (present) and action that happened in the past (past).

Use lots of examples and ask the child to give others along the same line.

Present:
Jean has a doughnut.
Jean and Joe have doughnuts.

Past:
Jean had a doughnut but ate it.

Explaining verbs to a 3rd grader can be done in a simple and engaging way. Let's start by understanding what each verb means.

1. Have:
Present: "Have" is used when you want to show that you possess or own something right now. For example, you can say "I have a toy."
Past: If you want to talk about owning or possessing something in the past, we use "had." For example, "Yesterday, I had an ice cream."

2. Do:
Present: "Do" is used when you want to talk about an action you are doing right now. For example, you can say "I do my homework."
Past: To talk about an action that happened in the past, we use "did." For example, "Yesterday, I did my homework."

3. Be:
Present: "Be" is used to describe or define something or someone in the present. For example, "I am a student."
Past: To talk about something that happened in the past, we use "was" or "were." For example, "Last year, I was at the beach."

To help a 3rd grader understand these verbs, you can use examples they can relate to or have them create their own sentences using the verbs. It's important to explain that the verb changes depending on whether we are talking about something happening right now or in the past.