"develop" in a Sentence — Examples for K-8

Three example sentences for develop, written at K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 reading levels.

What does "develop" mean?

develop is a verb that means: to grow or build up over time. Seeing it in real sentences helps kids learn how the word actually behaves in writing.

Grade K–2Easy sentence with develop

"Plants develop roots."

Notice the short, simple structure — perfect for early readers learning to decode and understand new words.

Grade 3–5Upper-elementary sentence with develop

"She is starting to develop a real talent for drawing animals from memory."

This sentence adds more context and detail — typical of chapter books at this grade level.

Grade 6–8Middle-school sentence with develop

"Most skills you'll ever care about will develop in the boring middle stretch, not the exciting first day and not the dramatic final test."

At this level, develop takes on subtler shades of meaning depending on context — the kind of nuance middle-schoolers need for essay writing.

How to use these sentences in the classroom

Sentence imitation — Read the example aloud, then have students write their own sentence with the same structure but a different topic.

Vocabulary notebooks — Have students copy the grade-appropriate sentence into their vocabulary journal alongside the definition.

Reading comprehension — Ask students to identify why develop is the right word for that sentence — what would change if you swapped it for a synonym?

FAQ — using "develop" in sentences

How do I use develop in a sentence for a 1st grader?

Try: "Plants develop roots." Keep it under 7 words and use sight-word vocabulary around it.

What's a more advanced sentence with develop?

"Most skills you'll ever care about will develop in the boring middle stretch, not the exciting first day and not the dramatic final test."

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