2nd grade capitalizing places and holidays worksheets
Geographic names (cities, states, countries, streets, rivers, mountains) and holidays are proper nouns, and every word in them takes a capital: Pine Street, Lake Erie, Independence Day. Second graders spot the full name and capitalize all of it.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.2.2.a.
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The kind of sentences you'll fix
Cross out each small letter that should be a capital, and write the capital above it.
-
the amazon river hides pink dolphins.
Fixed: The Amazon River hides pink dolphins.
- the library faces elm street.
- we marched down main street on thanksgiving.
Every print pulls a fresh set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Fix it. Cross out each small letter that should be a capital, and write the capital above it. 7 sentences to fix per page.
- Choose the sentence. Circle the letter of the sentence with the correct capital letters. 6 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
The two-word trap is the heart of this skill: kids reliably cap Main and forget Street. Teach that the whole name is the name; Street is part of it, exactly as Smith is part of Anna Smith. Local examples work best; your own street and town make the rule personal.
Watch for: Both halves of a place name get capitals: Main Street, not Main street. General words stay small: the street near my house, but Oak Street.
Common questions about capitalizing places and holidays
- Why does Street get a capital in Oak Street?
- Because the name of the street is both words together. Oak Street is the street's full name, the way Anna Smith is a person's full name; capitalizing half a name is the most common error at this stage, and these worksheets target it directly.
- Do all holidays get capitals?
- Yes, every important word: Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, Fourth of July. Short joiners like of stay lowercase. They're names of specific days on the calendar, so they join days and months in the capital club. Generic celebrations (my party, the long weekend) stay lowercase.
Related worksheets
- 3rd grade capitalizing places and holidays A step harder, same skill
- 2nd grade capitalizing names and dates Same grade, nearby skill
- Capitalizing places and holidays, all grades The full progression
- All 2nd grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 2nd grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core L.2.2.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 137, updated August 2026.
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