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Christmas Word Search (free printable)

A free Christmas word search with twenty-two words (reindeer, ornament, Bethlehem, gingerbread), a word bank and an answer key, ready to print for the last week before break.

22 words. “Polar bear” becomes POLARBEAR. Add a clue after a colon (“snow: white flakes”) to put clues in the bank.
Grid size
Difficulty
Up to 40 letters. They fill the first leftover squares, so the letters nobody circles spell it. On the board it flies into place when the last word is found.
Sort and find: the look-alikes hide in the grid and the word bank too, so children decide which to circle.

Use this list in: bingo cards

Christmas Word SearchChristmas Word SearchNameDateOALFEHLETYIAAELFPRESENTSRRESORDTNWANSHATCSPOINSETTIARTTSRRIBBONAWOLRBRUDOLPHSBOHRETHOLLYYOETRJEETESRTICGTGIALGDAHCANDYCANEOCRNNANLONASLEIGHLOAIIUEGEOTMJLKJDDTTAGEEALEHKAEICHIMNEYETRAUOELEISNOTTACSNBMEETDSSIEEOZFIND THESE WORDSSANTAREINDEERSLEIGHELFSTOCKINGORNAMENTWREATHCANDY CANEGINGERBREADTREESTARANGELBETHLEHEMPRESENTSRIBBONCAROLSHOLLYCHIMNEYTINSELCOOKIESRUDOLPHPOINSETTIAPuzzle 71943Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Christmas Word Search: answer keyChristmas Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.OALFEHLETYIAAELFPRESENTSRRESORDTNWANSHATCSPOINSETTIARTTSRRIBBONAWOLRBRUDOLPHSBOHRETHOLLYYOETRJEETESRTICGTGIALGDAHCANDYCANEOCRNNANLONASLEIGHLOAIIUEGEOTMJLKJDDTTAGEEALEHKAEICHIMNEYETRAUOELEISNOTTACSNBMEETDSSIEEOZPuzzle 71943Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key ·

To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.

All 22 words are in the tree, and each one appears once.

About this set

This puzzle uses twenty-two Christmas words that children meet in books, songs and the classroom: Santa, reindeer, sleigh, elf, stocking, wreath, ornament, tinsel, candy cane, gingerbread, holly, carols and the story words Bethlehem and angel. The longest words (poinsettia, Bethlehem, gingerbread) are eleven or twelve letters, so there is something to find for the strongest readers, and the short ones (elf, star, tree) are there for everyone else. It is a quiet activity for the busy days before winter break, and the answer key makes it easy to check.

Grades: 1st to 5th grade. Best in: December.

The words to find

Santa · Reindeer · Sleigh · Elf · Stocking · Ornament · Wreath · Candy cane · Gingerbread · Tree · Star · Angel · Bethlehem · Presents · Ribbon · Carols · Holly · Chimney · Tinsel · Cookies · Rudolph · Poinsettia

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Party table: leave a puzzle and a pencil at a quiet station for students who need a break from the noise.
  2. Sub plans: a word search on the holiday words, with the answer key on page two, needs no explanation.
  3. Alphabetize: after finding the words, students copy them in alphabetical order.
  4. Sentence challenge: students pick three words and write one sentence for each.
  5. Secular edit: remove words like Bethlehem and angel from the list to make a seasonal puzzle for all students.

Related

Questions

Is there an answer key?

Yes. The second page shows every word circled. Turn it off if you only want the puzzle.

Can I get a puzzle with fewer words?

Yes. Delete lines from the box. A shorter list, with Easy and a 12 × 12 grid, suits first grade.

Can I change the words or the difficulty?

Yes. Edit the 22 words in the box, choose Easy, Medium or Hard, pick a grid size from 8 to 25 and a shape, and add a secret message if you like. The puzzle rebuilds as you change it, and any word that cannot fit is listed.

Can we play it on the board?

Yes. Press “Play on the board”: the class finds words by dragging across them or tapping the first and last letters, each find plays a note, and H gives a hint. Press F to fill the projector.

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 are placed in a new arrangement, which is handy when neighbors should not have the same puzzle.

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