Are action words the same as verbs?

Yes. Kindergarten programmes say action words because the word verb arrives later; the standard behind this page is the kindergarten verb standard.

My child wrote running instead of run.

A fair answer, and not the one the bank offers. Point at the bank and read the word together. The endings are a first grade job.

Kindergarten action words

Kindergarten action words worksheets

Action words are verbs, the words that say what somebody is doing. Twelve pictures, one action in each, and the child writes what is happening on the line under it. The words are all there in the bank at the top, which is what makes the spelling fair at this age.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.K.1.b.

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

The kind of pictures you'll get

Look at each picture. What is happening? Find that action word in the word bank and write it on the line.

walk
pull
wave
feed
catch
hug

The sheet's own words sit in a bank at the top, shuffled, and every picture has a line under it. The child finds the word and writes it. The key lists the words in order.

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

What's on a kindergarten sheet

Kindergarten sheets draw from 41 pictures, 12 to a page. Kindergarten and 1st grade print from the same 41 pictures. What changes is the standard (L.K.1.b here) and the teaching notes below. Preschool sheets print 6 to a page.

Some of the words:

digclimbsingthrowstandbuildsweepcarrytouchwater

Picture words. Look at each picture. What is happening? Find that action word in the word bank and write it on the line. 12 pictures per page.

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

How to teach this

Ask "what is he doing?" and insist on a verb in the answer. If the child says "a broom", ask again pointing at the hands. Read the bank aloud once before writing so the child hears all twelve words, then let them work picture by picture rather than bank word by bank word.

Watch for: Naming the thing instead of the action. A picture of a child with a broom is not broom, it is sweep. Ask what is happening, not what you can see. Adding -ing because the picture is happening now. The bank has swim, not swimming; the sheet asks for the word on the bank. Two actions in one picture. A child pouring at a table could be pour or drink. The bank decides: only one of the two is on it.

Common questions about kindergarten action words

Are action words the same as verbs?: Yes. Kindergarten programmes say action words because the word verb arrives later; the standard behind this page is the kindergarten verb standard.
My child wrote running instead of run.: A fair answer, and not the one the bank offers. Point at the bank and read the word together. The endings are a first grade job.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core L.K.1.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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