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Human Body Word Search (free printable)

A free human body word search with twenty-three words (skeleton, muscles, lungs, digestion, nerves, oxygen), a word bank and an answer key for a body systems unit.

23 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

Human Body Word SearchHuman Body Word SearchNameDateFDTSYGQHAMLUNGSBGIMLBKROBKOLQOARRGDNHEARTEETHOXYGENBONESXVMCORGANSEYLAKKERLTRMONMTEPTURIBSTBTTWUKIDHLENEKUFOBSSNXOILGSMIAVWLTCFPTNEQYINNITOOLTDRGCJEPOOUYOMEKIDNEYSPSNNBDASPINELPAUWLUTICBRAINLCOLSEDOKHJOINTSSBSOIWLAEEHINNERVESFIND THESE WORDSSKELETONSKULLRIBSSPINEMUSCLESHEARTLUNGSBRAINSTOMACHBONESJOINTSSKINBLOODVEINSNERVESTEETHDIGESTIONBREATHINGPULSEORGANSCELLSOXYGENKIDNEYSPuzzle 49161Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Human Body Word Search: answer keyHuman Body Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.FDTSYGQHAMLUNGSBGIMLBKROBKOLQOARRGDNHEARTEETHOXYGENBONESXVMCORGANSEYLAKKERLTRMONMTEPTURIBSTBTTWUKIDHLENEKUFOBSSNXOILGSMIAVWLTCFPTNEQYINNITOOLTDRGCJEPOOUYOMEKIDNEYSPSNNBDASPINELPAUWLUTICBRAINLCOLSEDOKHJOINTSSBSOIWLAEEHINNERVESPuzzle 49161Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key ·

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

All 23 words are in the grid, and each one appears once.

About this set

Twenty-three words from a unit on how the body works, in a 15 by 15 grid. The answers follow the systems one at a time: the skeleton and its parts (skull, ribs, spine, bones, joints), muscles, the heart and blood (heart, blood, veins, pulse), the lungs and breathing (lungs, breathing, oxygen), digestion (stomach, kidneys, digestion), the brain and nerves, and the outer layer (skin, teeth). Words such as skeleton, digestion and breathing are long enough to challenge a fourth grader, and the short ones, such as skin, ribs and heart, give a second grader a quick start. The puzzle names no reproductive anatomy.

Grades: 2nd to 6th grade. Best in: October, February, March.

The words to find

Skeleton · Skull · Ribs · Spine · Muscles · Heart · Lungs · Brain · Stomach · Bones · Joints · Skin · Blood · Veins · Nerves · Teeth · Digestion · Breathing · Pulse · Organs · Cells · Oxygen · Kidneys

How to use it: five ideas

  1. System headings: after solving, students write the answers under skeleton and muscles, heart and blood, breathing, digestion, and brain and nerves.
  2. Label a body: students use the part words to label an outline of a body on the back of the page.
  3. Heartbeat check: when students find “pulse”, they stop, find a pulse and count it for fifteen seconds.
  4. Explain one: each student picks a word and explains in two sentences what that part or process does for the body.
  5. Review warm-up: use the puzzle as the five-minute opener on the first day of a body unit, to see what students already know.

Related

Questions

Why is “blood” in a puzzle for children?

It is part of every elementary lesson on the heart and circulation. It appears only as a plain science word with veins, pulse and oxygen. Delete it from the box if you prefer.

Can I make a smaller puzzle?

Yes. Keep just the words from the system you are teaching, such as skeleton, skull, ribs, spine and bones, choose a 10 by 10 grid, and the puzzle rebuilds at once.

Can I change the words or the difficulty?

Yes. Edit the 23 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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