Fall Crossword Puzzle (free printable)
A free fall crossword with thirteen words and clear clues for grades 2 to 4: acorn, harvest, equinox, migrate, orchard and more, with numbered squares and an answer key.
To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.
All 13 words are in the crossword (14 × 11 squares).
About this set
Thirteen fall words, each with a clue a second grader can read with a partner: the nut of an oak tree, a field of fruit trees, a sweet drink pressed from apples, a day when daytime and nighttime are about the same length. The words come from three places a fall unit visits: the outdoors (acorn, maple, squirrel, orchard), the science (equinox, migrate, harvest) and the season’s clothes, food and fun (sweater, cider, rake, hayride, chilly). None is tied to a holiday. Use the word bank for younger students, and turn it off for fourth grade, who must work from the clues alone.
Grades: 2nd to 4th grade. Best in: September, October, November.
The words and clues
- Autumn :
- Another name for the season that comes after summer
- Acorn :
- The nut of an oak tree
- Rake :
- A garden tool with long teeth for gathering leaves
- Squirrel :
- A bushy-tailed animal that buries nuts to eat in winter
- Harvest :
- To gather crops from the field when they are ripe
- Equinox :
- A day in fall when daytime and nighttime are about the same length
- Migrate :
- To travel a long way to a warmer place for the winter, as geese do
- Orchard :
- A field of fruit trees, such as apples
- Sweater :
- A knitted top that keeps you warm on a cool day
- Cider :
- A sweet drink pressed from apples
- Maple :
- A tree whose leaves turn bright red and whose sap makes syrup
- Chilly :
- A little bit cold, the way the air feels on a fall morning
- Hayride :
- A bumpy wagon ride across a farm, often in October
How to use it: five ideas
- Science links: after solving, students pick equinox or migrate and explain it to a partner using the clue as a starting point.
- Five senses: students write which sense goes with each answer (cider tastes, a sweater feels, an acorn looks).
- Write a clue: students write a new clue for “leaves” or “pumpkin” in their own words and trade with a neighbor.
- A puzzle of their own: press Make another for each group so no two tables share a layout.
- Nature walk follow-up: take the clue list outside and have students tick the answers they can find on the playground.
Related
Questions
Is the puzzle linked to a holiday?
No. It is about the season only, so it suits any school. Halloween and Thanksgiving have their own crosswords.
Can I change a clue?
Yes. Every word and clue is in the box on this page. Edit any line and the crossword is rebuilt with new numbers.
Can I change the words and clues?
Yes. Each of the 13 lines is a word, a colon and its clue. Edit any of them, and the crossword is rebuilt with new numbers.
How do I save it as a PDF?
Press Print and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. The puzzle is page one and the answer key is page two.
How do I get a different layout?
Press “Make another”. The same words and clues are placed in a new arrangement, so each table can have its own puzzle.
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