Verb Searching Worksheet

A verb is the action word in a sentence, and finding one inside connected writing is a very different skill from picking it out of a short list. The Verb Searching Worksheet gives second graders that practice directly: they read a short story about a boy getting ready for school, hunt through every sentence, and circle each action word they find. Because the verbs sit in real prose rather than in isolation, students have to ask what the sentence says someone does — which is exactly how they will meet verbs in the books they read all year.

This verb searching worksheet is a printable two-page PDF. Page one holds an eight-sentence story in a tinted panel with exactly eight action verbs hidden inside it, one per sentence, and every other word chosen so it cannot be mistaken for a verb. Below the story are eight numbered writing lines with plenty of room for second-grade handwriting, where students copy the verbs they circled. Copying the words after circling them is the part that makes the learning stick: the child has to commit to an answer and spell it out. Page two is a complete answer key showing every circled verb and every written line, so checking the work takes seconds.

What’s Included

• A two-page printable PDF sized for standard 8.5 x 11 paper
• An eight-sentence story written at a second-grade reading level
• Exactly eight action verbs to find and circle: wakes, feeds, packs, runs, rolls, climbs, waves and laugh
• Eight numbered writing lines with a full second-grade writing band
• A complete answer key on the final page

Three Reasons This Helps Kids

• It puts verbs in context. Spotting an action word inside a real sentence is harder, and more useful, than choosing between two words on a line.
• It pairs finding with writing. Circling shows recognition; copying the word onto a line turns that recognition into spelling and handwriting practice.
• It builds careful reading. Eight sentences with one verb each rewards students who slow down and read every word.

Teacher and Parent Ideas

• Read the story aloud first, then ask students to listen for the word that tells what someone does.
• After the sheet is finished, have students act out three of the verbs while classmates guess which one it is.
• Challenge early finishers to write one new sentence using two of the verbs from their list.
• Use this 2nd grade verbs worksheet as a quick check before moving on to verb tenses.

Related Resources

• Finding Verbs Worksheet
• Action Verbs Worksheet
• Verbs in Sentences Worksheet
• Verb Rap Song (Original Music Video)