A point of view is the position from which someone sees, understands, or tells about something. When you're standing in the outfield during a baseball game, you have a different point of view than someone sitting in the bleachers or the batter at home plate. Each person sees the same game but from their own angle and perspective.

In storytelling, point of view describes who's telling the story. When a book uses first person point of view, the narrator says “I” and tells what happened to them directly, like in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. In third person point of view, the narrator describes characters using “he,” “she,” or “they,” watching the story from outside, the way most fairy tales work. Some stories use second person, speaking directly to “you” as the reader.

Point of view also means someone's opinion or way of thinking about something. When classmates disagree about whether homework is helpful or pointless, they have different points of view on the subject. Your point of view on a topic comes from your experiences, knowledge, and values. Understanding someone else's point of view, even when you disagree, helps you see why they think the way they do. That's why teachers often ask students to “consider another point of view” or “see things from someone else's point of view.”