Skip to the content
Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

New Year Word Search (free printable)

A free New Year word search with twenty words (countdown, confetti, resolution, fresh start), a word bank and an answer key, for the first week back or the last before break.

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

New Year Word SearchNew Year Word SearchNameDateCHEERSEAQOBTIHENCONFETTILOMPLFMOTCLOCKNOBDKURCUIDFHQCOEJRCGIANRSRSIZIMAFEOELTEEEEETFPNILANEDSDSMBOSUURELDNOOHHIAHTSAEBSSDWLOSDLKRPRWRGRANUPTNLDEAYOAQLRXTEAIOSARPRTRPOTIMRGOAMARKEOADEONTHNEEDGSUKRTUNEETSNREJCRATIKINDNESSYCSMTYFIND THESE WORDSCOUNTDOWNMIDNIGHTCONFETTIFIREWORKSNOISEMAKERBALLOONSSTREAMERSCALENDARJANUARYRESOLUTIONGOALSCLOCKCELEBRATECHEERSPARADEHOPEFRESH STARTSPARKLEPARTYKINDNESSFRIENDSPuzzle 48305Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
New Year Word Search: answer keyNew Year Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.CHEERSEAQOBTIHENCONFETTILOMPLFMOTCLOCKNOBDKURCUIDFHQCOEJRCGIANRSRSIZIMAFEOELTEEEEETFPNILANEDSDSMBOSUURELDNOOHHIAHTSAEBSSDWLOSDLKRPRWRGRANUPTNLDEAYOAQLRXTEAIOSARPRTRPOTIMRGOAMARKEOADEONTHNEEDGSUKRTUNEETSNREJCRATIKINDNESSYCSMTYPuzzle 48305Free 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

This puzzle hides twenty words about the turn of the year: the party (countdown, midnight, confetti, fireworks, noisemaker, balloons, streamers, parade) and the thinking (resolution, goals, hope, calendar, kindness, fresh start). It works as a quiet warm-up on the first morning back from break, followed by a short writing task about one goal for the new year. The grid is 15 by 15 with words across, down and on the diagonal, and the answer key is the second page of the printout.

Grades: 2nd to 6th grade. Best in: December, January.

The words to find

Countdown · Midnight · Confetti · Fireworks · Noisemaker · Balloons · Streamers · Calendar · January · Resolution · Goals · Clock · Celebrate · Cheers · Parade · Hope · Fresh start · Sparkle · Party · Kindness · Friends

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Morning work: print one per student for the first day back, and have them find the words while you take attendance.
  2. Goal writing: after solving, students pick the word that fits them best (hope, goals, kindness) and write one sentence about it.
  3. Calendar skills: ask students to find the word “January” and then name the months before and after it.
  4. Class resolutions: use the words in the puzzle as headings for a class chart of goals for the new year.
  5. Tiered puzzle: use Easy for second grade and Hard with a 20 × 20 grid for fifth and sixth.

Related

Questions

Does it name a year?

No. The puzzle has no year in it, so you can print it every January. Add the year to the title if you want.

Can I add words about our class goals?

Yes. Type them in the box. The puzzle rebuilds and any word that does not fit is listed under the preview.

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.

Nothing you do here is sent to us. Your edits stay in this browser. No sign-in, no ads.