What's the difference between my and mine?

Position. My comes before the thing it owns: my lunchbox. Mine stands alone, usually at the end: that lunchbox is mine. First graders pick it up quickly when the sentence is read aloud, because the wrong one sounds broken.

Which possessive pronouns should a 1st grader know?

The everyday six: my, mine, your, yours, his, and her. They cover nearly everything a 6-year-old says about owning. The rest of the set (our/ours, their/theirs, its) joins comfortably in 2nd grade.

1st grade possessive pronouns

1st grade possessive pronouns worksheets

Possessive pronouns are the owning words: my book, your turn, his hat, her shoe. First graders choose the owning word that fits, learning the difference between my (before the thing) and mine (standing alone).

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.1.1.d.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll get

Circle the letter of the owning word that fits the sentence.

Mateo lost first tooth. his · him
Answer: his
The messy desk is . her · hers
The tall sandcastle is . him · his

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

1st grade sheets draw from 60 sentences, 10 to a page. All 60 are on 2nd grade sheets too, along with 60 more. 2nd grade sheets print 8 to a page.

A few of the sentences:

This library book is mine.
Your socks do not match.
Nia hugged her little brother.

Choose the word. Circle the letter of the owning word that fits the sentence. 10 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Play ownership out loud with real objects: this pencil is mine, that pencil is yours. The physical handing-over makes the words stick. Keep the set small at first (my/mine, your/yours, his, her) and let the sentence's shape do the teaching: "___ turn" wants my, "the turn is ___" wants mine.

Watch for: The pairs split by position: my, your, her, our, and their sit before a noun; mine, yours, hers, ours, and theirs stand alone. Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe. It's always means it is (or it has).

Common questions about 1st grade possessive pronouns

What's the difference between my and mine?: Position. My comes before the thing it owns: my lunchbox. Mine stands alone, usually at the end: that lunchbox is mine. First graders pick it up quickly when the sentence is read aloud, because the wrong one sounds broken.
Which possessive pronouns should a 1st grader know?: The everyday six: my, mine, your, yours, his, and her. They cover nearly everything a 6-year-old says about owning. The rest of the set (our/ours, their/theirs, its) joins comfortably in 2nd grade.

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Aligned to Common Core L.1.1.d. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated August 2026.

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