Parenting Phrasal Verbs: 20 Expressions Every Parent Needs to Know

You talk about your children every day. You talk about school, routines, arguments, and bedtime. But if you are learning English, some of those conversations are hard to get right.

Native English-speaking parents use phrasal verbs constantly when they talk about family life. They say things like “He really takes after his dad” or “She was acting up all afternoon.” These expressions are natural, common, and easy to use once you know them.

This guide gives you 20 parenting phrasal verbs with clear meanings, real example sentences, and tips to help you remember each one. By the end, you will sound much more natural when you talk about your family in English.

Why Parenting Is a Great Topic for Phrasal Verbs

Parents talk. A lot. They talk to other parents at school pickup. They talk to teachers, family members, and friends about their kids. They share stories, ask for advice, and describe what their children did that day.

Because parenting topics come up so often in daily life, learning the right vocabulary gives you a big advantage. Phrasal verbs are especially useful here because they are the words real people use in real conversations.

If you want to see how these expressions fit into everyday dialogue, check out Phrasal Verbs in Daily Conversations. It shows you how native speakers put phrasal verbs to work in the kinds of conversations you have every day.

Summary Table

#	Phrasal Verb	Particle	Meaning
1	Bring	up	Raise a child
2	Grow	up	Become an adult
3	Take	after	Resemble a parent
4	Look	after	Take care of someone
5	Pick	up	Collect, lift, or learn naturally
6	Tell	off	Scold someone
7	Act	up	Behave badly
8	Talk	back	Reply rudely
9	Give	in	Stop refusing
10	Cut down	on	Reduce
11	Drop	off	Take and leave somewhere
12	Stay	up	Not go to bed
13	Set	aside	Save for a purpose
14	Run	around	Move with lots of energy
15	Wear	out	Make very tired
16	Get	along	Have a good relationship
17	Fall	out	Have an argument
18	Make	up	Reconcile after an argument
19	Come up	with	Think of an idea
20	Settle	down	Become calm / start family life

Phrasal Verbs for Raising Children

These are the verbs you use when talking about how children grow and who raises them.

1. Bring up

To raise a child from birth to adulthood.

“She was brought up by her grandparents in the countryside.”

Tip: “Bring up” refers to the whole process of raising a child, including values, rules, and education. You also use it to introduce a topic in conversation: “Can I bring up something important?”

2. Grow up

To change from a child into an adult.

“My son is growing up so fast. He starts high school next year.”

Tip: You will also hear adults say “Grow up!” to tell someone to stop behaving childishly.

3. Take after

To look like or behave like a parent or older relative.

“She takes after her mother. They have the same smile and the same sense of humor.”

Tip: You use “take after” for personality, appearance, or talent. No particle separates the verb from the object.

4. Look after

To take care of someone.

“My sister looks after the kids on Friday afternoons while I’m at work.”

Tip: This is one of the most useful phrasal verbs for any family situation. You use it for children, elderly relatives, and pets.

5. Pick up

To lift a child, or to collect them from somewhere. It also means to learn something naturally.

“I pick the kids up from school at three o’clock every day.”

“She picked up Spanish really fast because her friend’s family speaks it at home.”

Tip: Context tells you which meaning applies. Both are very common.

Phrasal Verbs for Discipline and Behavior

Every parent deals with bad behavior. These are the phrasal verbs native speakers use in those moments.

6. Tell off

To speak to a child (or adult) angrily because they did something wrong.

“The teacher told him off for running in the hallway.”

Tip: “Tell off” is less formal than “reprimand” but stronger than “talk to.” It suggests real frustration.

7. Act up

When a child (or machine) behaves badly or causes problems.

“The kids were acting up all evening. I think they were overtired.”

Tip: You also use “act up” for things that stop working properly. “My knee is acting up again.”

8. Talk back

When a child answers a parent or teacher in a rude or disrespectful way.

“Don’t talk back to me. I’m your parent.”

Tip: This is almost always used in the context of children and authority figures. It carries a strong negative meaning.

9. Give in

To stop saying no and let someone have what they want, even when you did not want to.

“He kept asking for a cookie before dinner and I finally gave in.”

Tip: Parents often talk about trying not to give in to tantrums. The word describes a moment of surrender.

10. Cut down on

To reduce the amount of something.

“We are trying to cut down on screen time during the week.”

Tip: “Cut down on” is useful for talking about habits. “We need to cut down on sugar” or “We cut down on eating out.”

For a deeper look at how phrasal verbs work across different family situations at home, read Phrasal Verbs: Family, Relationships, and Home. It covers many of the expressions parents use when talking about home life.

Phrasal Verbs for Daily Routines and Family Life

These phrasal verbs describe the regular patterns of family life, from morning to night.

11. Drop off

To take someone to a place and leave them there.

“I drop my daughter off at daycare on my way to work.”

Tip: The opposite is “pick up.” You will hear these two together a lot in parenting conversations.

12. Stay up

To go to bed later than usual, or to not go to bed at all.

“The kids stayed up way past their bedtime watching a movie.”

Tip: Parents use “stay up” to talk about sleep rules. “You are not staying up past nine o’clock tonight.”

13. Set aside

To save or reserve something, usually time or money, for a specific purpose.

“We set aside thirty minutes every night for reading before bed.”

Tip: “Set aside” shows planning and intention. It is a useful verb for talking about routines and priorities.

14. Run around

To move quickly from place to place, often with lots of energy.

“The kids ran around the park for two hours. They were exhausted by dinner.”

Tip: Adults use this to describe a busy, tiring day too. “I ran around all day doing errands.”

15. Wear out

To make someone extremely tired.

“Three hours of football wore him out completely. He fell asleep in the car.”

Tip: You also use “wear out” for objects that break down after a lot of use. “These shoes are completely worn out.”

Phrasal Verbs for Family Relationships

These phrasal verbs describe how family members relate to each other.

16. Get along

To have a good and friendly relationship with someone.

“My two boys get along really well most of the time.”

Tip: You use “get along with” when you name the person. “Do your kids get along with their cousins?”

17. Fall out

To have an argument and damage a relationship.

“My daughter fell out with her best friend over something that happened at school.”

Tip: “Fall out” suggests the damage is more lasting than a quick argument. You often use it with “over” to say what caused it.

18. Make up

To become friendly again after an argument.

“They fell out on Monday, but they made up by Wednesday.”

Tip: “Fall out” and “make up” often appear together when telling a story about a conflict and a resolution.

19. Come up with

To think of an idea, plan, or solution.

“My son came up with a great idea for the school project.”

Tip: Use this when someone produces an idea from their own thinking. “Who came up with that rule?”

20. Settle down

To become calm after excitement. It also means to start a stable family life.

“Please settle down, children. Class is starting.”

“He settled down in his early thirties, got married, and had two kids.”

Tip: These two meanings are very different, but the context always makes it clear which one you mean.

A Short Story: A Typical Family Day

Read this short story. Notice how many of the phrasal verbs from this list appear in natural, connected conversation.

Maria got up early and dropped her kids off at school before eight o’clock. Her son had been acting up the night before, staying up past ten o’clock and talking back when she told him to turn off his tablet. She had told him off, but she also gave in a little when he asked to read for one more chapter.

At school pickup, she heard that her daughter had fallen out with a classmate over a game at recess. By the time they got home, the two girls had made up over a video call and were laughing together.

In the evening, the whole family ran around in the backyard for an hour. It wore everyone out in the best way. The youngest settled down quickly that night and was asleep before seven.

Maria smiled. She had been brought up in a loud, busy household, and her kids were taking after her in all the right ways.

How to Practice These Phrasal Verbs

The best way to remember phrasal verbs is to use them in sentences that feel real to you.

Think about your own family. Write three sentences using phrasal verbs from this list. Use your real children’s names, real routines, and real situations. The more personal the sentence, the easier it is to remember.

Try this:

• Who do your children take after?
• Do your children get along well with each other?
• What time do they usually settle down at night?

Answering these questions out loud in English gives you real speaking practice with vocabulary that applies directly to your life.

If you want to explore more phrasal verbs organized by topic, visit Phrasal Verbs by Themes. You will find lists that cover everything from daily routines to feelings and emotions.

Wrapping Up

Parenting is one of the most talked-about topics in any language. Learning these phrasal verbs gives you the words to talk about it the way native speakers do. Start with the five or ten that feel most useful for your life right now, and practice them in real sentences about your own family.