PLAYING WITH MY COUSINS

I love playing with my cousins when they visit. We always have so much fun together. Sometimes, we play hide-and-seek in the backyard. Other times, we build forts using pillows and blankets. My older cousin likes to tell funny stories. My younger cousin loves playing with toys. We all enjoy running around and laughing. After playing, we sit down and have snacks. We talk about our favorite games and share stories. Spending time with my cousins makes me happy. I feel lucky to have cousins who are also my best friends.

Individual Sentences

1. I love playing with my cousins when they visit.
   Pattern: S + V + V-ing + Prep Phrase + Poss Adj + O + Adv Clause + S + V

2. We always have so much fun together.
   Pattern: S + Adv + V + Adv + Adj O + Adv

3. Sometimes, we play hide-and-seek in the backyard.
   Pattern: Adv + S + V + O + Prep Phrase + Poss Adj + O

4. Other times, we build forts using pillows and blankets.
   Pattern: Adv + S + V + O + V-ing + O + Conj + O

5. My older cousin likes to tell funny stories.
   Pattern: Poss Adj + Adj O + V + Inf Phrase + Adj O

6. My younger cousin loves playing with toys.
   Pattern: Poss Adj + Adj O + V + V-ing + Prep Phrase + O

7. We all enjoy running around and laughing.
   Pattern: S + Adv + V + V-ing + Adv + Conj + V-ing

8. After playing, we sit down and have snacks.
   Pattern: Adv Phrase + S + V + Adv + Conj + V + O

9. We talk about our favorite games and share stories.
   Pattern: S + V + Prep Phrase + Poss Adj + Adj O + Conj + V + O

10. Spending time with my cousins makes me happy.
    Pattern: V-ing + O + Prep Phrase + Poss Adj + O + V + O + Adj

11. I feel lucky to have cousins who are also my best friends.
    Pattern: S + V + Adj + Inf Phrase + O + Rel Clause

Who Are You Talking To?

Just an example of how this phrase would be said in different environments:
Phrase: "What do you like about playing with your cousins?"

1. Casual: "Hey, what’s your favorite thing about playing with your cousins?"

2. Intimate: "Sweetie, why do you love playing with your cousins?"

3. Formal: "May I ask what you enjoy about playing with your cousins?"

4. Business: "Could you explain why playing with your cousins is enjoyable?"

5. Writing: "Please describe what you like about playing with your cousins and why it is meaningful."

Key Vocabulary

To help you recall the words faster, draw a picture, create a sentence, or a story for each word.

1. Cousins – The children of your aunt or uncle.

2. Hide-and-seek – A game where players hide and one person tries to find them.

3. Forts – Small structures made from pillows, blankets, or other materials.

4. Snacks – Small amounts of food eaten between meals.

5. Lucky – Feeling fortunate or blessed.

Comprehension Questions

Refer back to the story if you need to answer the following questions.

1. Who do I love playing with when they visit?
   Sentence: ________________.

2. What game do we sometimes play in the backyard?
   Sentence: ________________.

3. What does my older cousin like to do?
   Sentence: ________________.

4. What do we do after playing?
   Sentence: ________________.

5. Why does spending time with my cousins make me happy?
   Sentence: ________________.

Answers:

1. My cousins.

2. Hide-and-seek.

3. Tell funny stories.

4. Sit down and have snacks.

5. Because they are also my best friends.

Speaking Activity

Practice placing stress on the bolded words to change the message of the sentence.

1. I love playing with my cousins when they visit. (Emphasizes who loves playing)

2. We always have so much fun together. (Emphasizes the enjoyment)

3. My older cousin likes to tell funny stories. (Emphasizes the type of stories)

4. Spending time with my cousins makes me happy. (Emphasizes the emotion)

5. I feel lucky to have cousins who are also my best friends. (Emphasizes the relationship)

Writing Activity

Unscramble the Sentences:

1. Playing / cousins / I / with / love / my / when / visit / they.
   Sentence: ________________.

2. Fun / have / so / always / we / together / much.
   Sentence: ________________.

3. Stories / cousin / tell / funny / older / my / likes / to.
   Sentence: ________________.

4. Cousins / spending / time / with / makes / happy / my / me.
   Sentence: ________________.

5. Lucky / I / cousins / feel / have / to / who / my / are / best / friends.
   Sentence: ________________.

Answers:

1. I love playing with my cousins when they visit.

2. We always have so much fun together.

3. My older cousin likes to tell funny stories.

4. Spending time with my cousins makes me happy.

5. I feel lucky to have cousins who are also my best friends.

Create Activity

Follow the sentence pattern and build sentences with the following words:

Words To Use: cousins, hide-and-seek, forts, snacks, lucky

1. S + V + O.
   Sentence: ________________.

2. S + V + Adj + O.
   Sentence: ________________.

3. S + V + O + Prep Phrase.
   Sentence: ________________.

4. S + V + O + Adv.
   Sentence: ________________.

5. S + Aux + V + Adj.
   Sentence: ________________.

Answers:

1. I love my cousins.

2. The forts were fun.

3. We played hide-and-seek in the backyard.

4. They laughed loudly.

5. I feel lucky.

Grammar Activities

Multiple-Choice Questions:

1. Who do I love playing with when they visit?
   a) My siblings
   b) My friends
   c) My cousins

2. What game do we sometimes play in the backyard?
   a) Hide-and-seek
   b) Tag
   c) Hopscotch

3. What does my older cousin like to do?
   a) Play hide-and-seek
   b) Build forts
   c) Tell funny stories

4. What do we do after playing?
   a) Sit down and have snacks
   b) Watch TV
   c) Go home

5. Why does spending time with my cousins make me happy?
   a) Because they tell jokes.
   b) Because they are also my best friends.
   c) Because we play games.

Answers:

1. c) My cousins

2. a) Hide-and-seek

3. c) Tell funny stories

4. a) Sit down and have snacks

5. b) Because they are also my best friends

Natural Dialogue

Me: What do you like to do with your cousins?
Friend: I love playing games like hide-and-seek with them.
Me: Do you have fun with them?
Friend: Yes, we always have so much fun together!
Me: Why do you enjoy spending time with your cousins?
Friend: Because they are my best friends!