Understanding the past tense in the sentence 'They walked home from school today' and how to spot it.

Title: A Simple Look at Tense: What the sentence “They walked home from school today” really tells us

Let’s start with a small moment from the everyday: a sentence you could hear in a child’s story, a classroom chant, or a parent reading aloud before bed. The line is: They walked home from school today. At first glance, it might seem ordinary, but there’s a tiny linguistic doorway here that opens up a lot about how we talk about time. For anyone teaching or studying early childhood language, this is a handy example to unpack: the verb walked is our clue to the past tense.

Past, present, future—let’s take a quick tour

Here’s the thing about English verbs: they bend to time. The sentence in question clearly points to something that happened already. That “ed” on walk—walked—signals a completed action. So, in plain terms, the sentence uses past tense.

To keep this easy to visualize, consider three quick reference points:

• Present tense: I walk to the store. It’s happening right now, or it’s a general habit. The action is ongoing.

• Past tense: I walked to the store yesterday. The action finished in the past. The verb shows that completion.

• Future tense: I will walk to the store tomorrow. The action hasn’t happened yet but is planned or expected.

You’ll notice how time markers help cue us in. Words like today, yesterday, tomorrow—these aren’t just decorations. They’re time cues that shape how the verb should be formed and understood. In our sentence, today is a time word that sits with a past action. That’s perfectly normal—context matters, and tense isn’t a rigid cage; it’s a flexible tool we use to communicate precisely when things happen.

What makes walked tick (and why it matters)

The word walked isn’t random. It’s a regular verb, which means we add -ed to signal past action: walk becomes walked. That little ending is a dependable clue for both learners and teachers. It’s also a great starting point for kids who are just beginning to sort out how verbs “mark” time.

There’s another layer worth noting: present perfect. That tense shows actions that started in the past and are connected to the present in some way. The equivalent of our example, using present perfect, would be They have walked home from school today. It’s a subtle shift. The action happened earlier, but its relevance spills into the present moment (perhaps the kids are back home now and talking about their day). This distinction—simple past versus present perfect—can be tricky for new learners, but it’s a central part of how we express time in English.

Why teachers and caregivers care about tense

In early childhood settings, language is every day life. Kids learn pronunciation, rhythm, and a sense of when to talk about what happened, what’s happening, and what might happen next. When we name routines, tell stories, or describe a sequence of events, we’re practicing tense without turning it into a quiz. It’s storytelling with a purpose: helping little ones map time to meaning.

Consider how a preschool day flows. Morning songs, snack time, a trip to the block area, a read-aloud—each moment invites verbs in action. When a teacher says, “Yesterday, we built a big tower with blocks,” children hear the past tense in a vivid, memorable way. They begin to notice the link between the word form and the moment it describes. And that’s how language becomes a tool for thinking, not just a set of rules to memorize.

Making tense tangible for young learners

A lot of language learning happens through play, routine, and story. Here are some accessible strategies that feel natural in a classroom or at home:

• Visual timelines: Lay out a simple line on chart paper—Past, Present, Future. Use pictures or icons (yesterday’s sun, today’s lunch, tomorrow’s clock). When you tell a story, point to the moment on the timeline as you mention the verb. For example, “Yesterday, we walked to the park,” and slide the marker to Past.

• Action-based practice: Have kids act out a sequence. First, they walk to a chair and sit down (past). Then they tell you what they are doing now (present). Finally, they pretend they will walk to the window (future). Movement makes tense concrete.

• Read-aloud with a twist: Choose short, engaging picture books and pause to highlight verbs that signal time. Ask questions like, “What happened first? What is the character doing now?” It’s a gentle way to blend comprehension with tense awareness.

• Sentence sorts: Create a small deck of sentence strips. Have children sort them into Past, Present, and Future bins. Include regulars (like walked, plays, will jump) and a few irregulars (went, ate, ran) to broaden recognition.

• Story prompts: Prompt kids to tell a quick story about yesterday, today, and tomorrow. You can jot down their sentences and point out the verbs and the time cues inferences. It’s a gentle blend of language and narrative skills.

• Playful repetition with a purpose: Repetition is not a sin in early language work; it’s a friend. Use the same sentence with different time markers to show how meaning shifts. For instance:

• Yesterday, they walked home.

• Today, they walk home.

• Tomorrow, they will walk home.

This simple switch helps kids hear the time-shift in action.

Tech-friendly twists (without turning this into screen time)

If you’re in a setting that uses technology, a few kid-friendly tools can support tense exploration without turning the classroom into a digital hour. For example, short, interactive storytelling apps on tablets—like Khan Academy Kids, Starfall, or PBS Kids—often include activities that highlight sequencing and verb use. You can pair a device with a physical activity: after a digital story, kids act out the sequence and then sort cards representing each tense. The key is balance: mix screen-based practice with hands-on, talk-filled moments.

Common bumps and how to smooth them out

Even seasoned teachers bump into a few common snags when teaching tense:

• Time markers that confuse. The word today can appear with either present or past in everyday speech. Clarify by pairing time markers with a clear action. If you say “today,” pair it with something happening now or already completed during today, and contrast with yesterday or tomorrow.

• Irregular verbs. Not every verb adds -ed neatly. Go-to examples are went, ate, saw, took. Create a mini-reference chart your students can flip to when they’re stuck.

• Present perfect gets tangled with simple past. Remember: present perfect links past action to the present. If the sentence sounds like it could be about now or it’s relevant to today, consider whether have/has + past participle is the right frame.

A few gentle reminders

• Let the child’s language be the star, not the grammar pounce. You’re guiding, not policing.

• Use authentic contexts. Everyday routines—mealtime, cleanup, outdoor play—are rich with tense opportunities.

• Mix formal labels with everyday talk. Call the tense by its name sometimes, but keep most of the dialogue natural and supportive.

Putting it all together: a practical takeaway

If you’re ever unsure about tense in a sentence, return to three anchors:

• The verb form signals time. Look for the shape of the verb: does it end in -ed? Is there a helping verb like have, has, are, or will?

• The time cue helps decide which tense fits. Yesterday belongs with the past; today can be past or present depending on the action; tomorrow tilts toward future.

• The meaning matters most. Does the sentence say something that already happened, something happening now, or something that will happen later? Let that guide your choice.

Let me explain with a simple recap using our original line: They walked home from school today. The action (walking) happened in the past, and the word walked shows it clearly. The adverb today doesn’t force a present tense here; it simply anchors the event in the same day we’re talking about. So, past tense is the right label. And that’s not just a grammar tidbit—it’s a doorway to clearer storytelling with kids.

Why this matters in a broader sense

Beyond the mechanics, understanding tense helps young learners organize their thoughts and express themselves with confidence. When children can label actions as “what happened,” “what is happening,” or “what might happen next,” they’re building a cognitive framework for sequencing stories and planning narratives. In early childhood education, that foundation pays off in reading comprehension, writing, and even social communication—pegging meaning to time makes conversations richer and more precise.

If you’re curating a language-centered moment in your day, think of tense as a small, friendly toolset. It’s not about correctness for correctness’s sake; it’s about helping kids tell better stories, ask clearer questions, and connect sentences to the real world around them. And yes, it’s a little game of time—a playful, everyday skill that grows with them.

A short resource round-up to explore further

• Reading Rockets and PBS LearningMedia offer accessible guidance on language development and early literacy strategies that emphasize story structure and verb use.

• Starfall and Khan Academy Kids provide kid-friendly activities that blend phonics, vocabulary, and simple grammar in an age-appropriate way.

• Picture books with clear sequences—look for stories that dwell on a day-in-the-life theme. After reading, pause and point to verbs that signal time, inviting kids to rephrase sentences in past, present, and future.

In the end, tense isn’t a rigid checklist; it’s a way to help young minds anchor action in time. The sentence They walked home from school today isn’t just a line about a past event—it’s a miniature map of how we talk about yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And when you guide children through that map with warmth, clarity, and a touch of play, you’re doing more than teaching grammar. You’re helping them become confident communicators who can share their everyday adventures with precision and charm.

So the next time you hear that line, take a breath, smile, and see the lesson unfold: a small verb, a big idea, and a classroom full of curious voices ready to tell their own stories. If you try a few of these ideas this week, you’ll likely see kids nudge their sentences toward a cleaner sense of time—without even realizing they’re learning. That’s the win, right there.