Is this a reading sheet or a writing sheet?

Both, lightly. The picture carries the meaning, the adult reads the word, and the child traces it. Nobody has to read anything alone.

Six pictures with a word to trace under each is about one sitting for a three or four year old. The kindergarten sheet has twelve.

Preschool action words

Preschool action words worksheets

Action words are the words for things you do: run, jump, eat, sleep. They are among the first words any child uses, which is why a preschooler can say them long before reading them. Six pictures of children doing something, with the word beside each one as dots to trace.

Free printable PDF worksheet.

Each print is a different sheet. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of words you'll trace

Look at each picture. Say what is happening, then trace the word.

wash
feed
hug
draw
sleep
catch

Six pictures to a sheet. Beside every picture the word is printed as a dotted outline on a writing guide, ready to trace; the key page writes the same six out in ink.

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 preschool sheet

Preschool sheets draw from 41 pictures, 6 to a page. Kindergarten sheets print 12 to a page.

Some of the words:

digsingcatchpushridecookfallopenblowfeed

Trace the word. Look at each picture. Say what is happening, then trace the word. 6 pictures per page.

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

How to teach this

Do the action before you write it. Jump when the picture jumps, stir when it stirs. A child who has just done the thing names it without hunting for it. Then trace. Six actions is one sitting; the same six again tomorrow is good practice, not a waste.

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 preschool action words

Is this a reading sheet or a writing sheet?: Both, lightly. The picture carries the meaning, the adult reads the word, and the child traces it. Nobody has to read anything alone.
Why only six?: Six pictures with a word to trace under each is about one sitting for a three or four year old. The kindergarten sheet has twelve.

Related worksheets

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Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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