Apostrophes for Possession: Free KS2 Worksheet (Years 3 to 4)

What the possessive apostrophe does

The possessive apostrophe shows that something belongs to a person, animal or thing. With a singular noun, we add an apostrophe and then an s: the dog's bone means the bone belonging to the dog. Children first meet this rule in Year 2, and it covers most everyday examples, including names such as Anya's coat. Names that already end in s usually still take 's, as in James's book; the national curriculum gives Cyprus's population as its example. Encouraging children to read the phrase as 'belonging to' helps them check whether an apostrophe is really needed.

Singular versus plural possession

The placement of the apostrophe changes once a noun is made plural. For a regular plural that already ends in s, the apostrophe goes after the s with no extra letter: the girls' shoes means the shoes belonging to more than one girl. For irregular plurals that do not end in s, such as children, men or people, we add an apostrophe and then an s in the usual way: the children's toys. This distinction is the specific focus of the Year 4 curriculum, so it is worth practising deliberately. A useful routine is to write the owner first, then add the apostrophe straight after it: girls + ’ = girls'; children + ’s = children's.

Telling possession apart from plurals

The most common error at this stage is adding an apostrophe to an ordinary plural, for example writing three dog's when no apostrophe is needed because nothing belongs to the dogs. A reliable check is to ask whether the noun owns anything that follows it. If the answer is no, it is simply a plural and needs no apostrophe. The tick task mixes correct phrases with three common mistakes (an apostrophe on a plain plural, and childrens' instead of children's), so children have to look closely rather than tick every apostrophe they see.

How to support learning at home or in class

Short, frequent bursts work better than long sessions for punctuation. Try spotting possessive apostrophes on packaging, signs and book titles, and ask the child to explain who or what owns the item. When marking, focus first on whether the apostrophe is needed at all, then on its position. Reading sentences aloud also helps, because the apostrophe does not change how a word sounds, which reminds children it is a written signal of meaning rather than a pronunciation guide.

Frequently asked questions