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English · Years 3–4

Possessive apostrophes explained for parents

By Dave Allen · Updated · 5 min read

Drafted and fact-checked with AI help, against the sources below. Not yet reviewed by a teacher. How we write our guides

What it is

Apostrophe
The little raised comma in words like can't and Megan's. It has two jobs: showing where letters are missing, and showing that something belongs to someone.
Possessive apostrophe
An apostrophe that shows belonging, or possession. In the dog's bowl, the apostrophe tells you the bowl belongs to the dog.
Singular and plural
Singular means one (girl). Plural means more than one (girls). Where the apostrophe goes depends on which one you mean.
Irregular plural
A plural that doesn't just add s, such as children, men, women or mice.

The secret is to write the owner first, exactly as it would be spelt on its own, and then add the apostrophe. Everything else follows from that.

  1. Ask: who is the owner, and is there one of them or more than one?
  2. Write the owner word exactly as it would be spelt on its own: girl, girls or children.
  3. Add an apostrophe straight after it.
  4. If the owner word ends in s because it's a plural, stop there: girls'. Otherwise, add an s: girl's, children's.
  • One girl: the girl's coat
  • More than one girl: the girls' coats
  • One child: the child's book
  • More than one child: the children's books

How it's taught at school

The national curriculum for England introduces the possessive apostrophe in two steps.

  • Year 2: the apostrophe for one owner, such as the girl's book, alongside apostrophes for missing letters in words like can't and didn't.
  • Years 3 and 4: the apostrophe with plurals, both regular ones like girls' and boys' and irregular ones like children's. The grammar appendix places plural possession in Year 4.
  • Year 4: the difference between a plural s and a possessive s, so your child can tell the girls (more than one girl) from the girl's (something belonging to one girl).

That Year 4 point is the heart of it. An s on the end of a word can mean "more than one" or "belongs to". The apostrophe is what tells the reader which one you mean, so a plain plural never needs one.

Tip
Saying it the long way round helps. "The coats of the girls" makes it clear there's more than one girl, so the apostrophe goes after the s: the girls' coats.

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Common mistakes (and how to help)

Putting an apostrophe in a plain plural, such as apple's for sale
A plural on its own never needs an apostrophe. Ask your child: "Does anything belong to the apples?" If not, there's no apostrophe. You'll spot this one on signs, which makes a fun game.
Writing childrens' instead of children's
Children is already plural and doesn't end in s. Write the owner word first, exactly as it is (children), then add 's. The same goes for men's, women's and mice's.
Using it's to show belonging
It's always means it is or it has. To show belonging, use its with no apostrophe: "The cat licked its paw." Ask your child to try "it is" in the sentence. If it doesn't make sense, there's no apostrophe.
Getting the right letters but the apostrophe in the wrong place, such as the girl's coats for many girls
Go back to the first question: one owner or more than one? Draw or count the owners together if it helps, then write the owner word before adding anything.

Three quick activities at home

Whose is it?

About 5 minutes · You need: A few things from around the house that belong to different people

  1. Hold up one thing, such as a grown-up's slipper or the dog's lead, and ask your child to say and write whose it is.
  2. Then pick something shared by more than one person or pet, such as the cats' bowls or the children's bedroom.
  3. Talk about whether there's one owner or more than one before your child writes it.

Apostrophe spotting

About 10 minutes · You need: Nothing: this works well on a walk to the shops

  1. Look out for apostrophes on signs, menus and packets.
  2. For each one, ask your child: is it showing missing letters or belonging?
  3. If you spot an apostrophe in a plain plural, see if your child can explain why it shouldn't be there.

One or many?

About 5 minutes · You need: Paper and a pencil

  1. Write a pair of phrases, such as the boy's football and the boys' football.
  2. Ask your child to tell you how many boys there are in each one.
  3. Swap roles, so your child writes a pair for you to work out.

Try it with your child

Free Pipkin puzzles on this topic. No sign-up. They open on the children's side of Pipkin.

Questions parents ask

What about names ending in s, like James?

The curriculum treats a single owner whose name ends in s like any other single owner and adds 's: James's bike, Cyprus's population.

My child gets it right in exercises but not in their own writing. Should I worry?

No, that's very common. In an exercise your child knows apostrophes are the focus. In their own writing they're juggling lots of things at once. Reading back over a piece together and asking "does anything belong to anyone here?" helps the habit grow.

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Related guides

Sources

  1. Department for Education: English Appendix 1: Spelling
  2. Department for Education: English Appendix 2: Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
  3. Department for Education: National curriculum in England: English programmes of study
  4. BBC Bitesize: How to use possessive apostrophes