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Hanukkah Word Search (free printable)

A free Hanukkah word search with twenty-one words (menorah, dreidel, latkes, Maccabees), a word bank and an answer key. Print it for a unit on the festival of lights.

21 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

Hanukkah Word SearchHanukkah Word SearchNameDateZSSMENORAHWUREEHMUNIULMIRACLEKFTAFREEDOMFRJIIOAGCGMTEMPLEEGLDEDICATIONEJRHCMFVTOANTYOESUTOHLIRVOBIFEYHSEUEWITXILEYURAADRBCANDLESEOAMLRARRKKTYSEESTAELGEASILUSURMGSMAEWOAIOKISLEVHTTEDTMIHANUKKAHWKISAPDSEGELTEASERFDREIDELNIFERSOFIND THESE WORDSHANUKKAHMENORAHDREIDELLATKESCANDLESSHAMASHGELTMACCABEESTEMPLEJERUSALEMMIRACLEOILSUFGANIYOTHEBREWBLESSINGKISLEVDEDICATIONFAMILYFREEDOMCOURAGEEIGHTPuzzle 40964Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Hanukkah Word Search: answer keyHanukkah Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.ZSSMENORAHWUREEHMUNIULMIRACLEKFTAFREEDOMFRJIIOAGCGMTEMPLEEGLDEDICATIONEJRHCMFVTOANTYOESUTOHLIRVOBIFEYHSEUEWITXILEYURAADRBCANDLESEOAMLRARRKKTYSEESTAELGEASILUSURMGSMAEWOAIOKISLEVHTTEDTMIHANUKKAHWKISAPDSEGELTEASERFDREIDELNIFERSOPuzzle 40964Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key ·

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

All 21 words are in the grid, and each one appears once.

About this set

Hanukkah is an eight-night Jewish festival that remembers the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. The twenty-one words in this puzzle follow the story and the celebration: the Maccabees who won back the Temple, the oil that burned for eight days, the menorah and its helper candle the shamash, the dreidel, gelt, latkes and sufganiyot. Longer words such as Jerusalem, Maccabees and sufganiyot make it a real challenge for third through fifth grade, and each word is on the list because students are likely to meet it in a picture book or a school unit on the holiday.

Grades: 2nd to 5th grade. Best in: December.

The words to find

Hanukkah · Menorah · Dreidel · Latkes · Candles · Shamash · Gelt · Maccabees · Temple · Jerusalem · Miracle · Oil · Sufganiyot · Hebrew · Blessing · Kislev · Dedication · Family · Freedom · Courage · Eight

How to use it: five ideas

  1. After a read-aloud, students find the words and tell a partner what each one means in the story.
  2. Vocabulary cards: for each word, students write a definition on an index card using the book as a source.
  3. Symbols: students draw a menorah and label each part with words from the puzzle (shamash, candles, light).
  4. Cultural sharing: invite students who celebrate to teach one word, and always let them choose.
  5. Compare festivals: do this puzzle and the Kwanzaa puzzle on the same day and chart what the two festivals share.

Related

Questions

Is Hanukkah spelled Chanukah?

Both are correct English spellings. The puzzle uses Hanukkah; type Chanukah in the list if your class uses that spelling.

How do I say sufganiyot?

It sounds like soof-gahn-YOHT: jelly doughnuts eaten at Hanukkah, because they are fried in oil.

Can I change the words or the difficulty?

Yes. Edit the 21 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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