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Summer Word Search (free printable)

A free summer word search with twenty-two words (sunscreen, sandcastle, lemonade, fireflies, hammock), a word bank and an answer key for the last weeks of school or a summer program.

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

Summer Word SearchSummer Word SearchNameDateESKBICYCLEFWETDBADWPCCAMPINGYACIOHAMMOCKRUSTGILGLEMONADEHSOQSBNGBKURASFOTWUIOSSEASHELLTIEALALTENTSFKITELSATHSUNSCREENSIUFKIMTASWIMSUITMECKILIUFPICNICMGBIGINCSUNSHINEMENIEOBEACHQLYRUUGSPRINKLEREEDSANDCASTLEXEUMRAOHNOVACATIONCIFIND THESE WORDSSUMMERSUNSHINEBEACHSANDCASTLESEASHELLSUNSCREENSUNGLASSESSWIMSUITTOWELLEMONADEPICNICCAMPINGFIREFLIESHIKINGBICYCLESPRINKLERVACATIONHAMMOCKSAILBOATSOLSTICETENTKITEPuzzle 27672Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Summer Word Search: answer keySummer Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.ESKBICYCLEFWETDBADWPCCAMPINGYACIOHAMMOCKRUSTGILGLEMONADEHSOQSBNGBKURASFOTWUIOSSEASHELLTIEALALTENTSFKITELSATHSUNSCREENSIUFKIMTASWIMSUITMECKILIUFPICNICMGBIGINCSUNSHINEMENIEOBEACHQLYRUUGSPRINKLEREEDSANDCASTLEXEUMRAOHNOVACATIONCIPuzzle 27672Free 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 grid, and each one appears once.

About this set

Twenty-two summer words in a 15 by 15 grid: the beach (beach, sandcastle, seashell, swimsuit, towel, sailboat), the sun (sunshine, sunscreen, sunglasses, solstice), the ways to cool off (lemonade, the sprinkler), the trips (vacation, camping, hiking, picnic) and the evenings (fireflies, hammock, bicycle). Sandcastle, sunscreen and sunglasses are long enough to challenge third graders, while sun, towel and beach give first graders a place to start. It is a good last-week-of-school activity, a summer-camp rainy-day sheet and a quiet task for students waiting for a ride.

Grades: 1st to 5th grade. Best in: May, June, July.

The words to find

Summer · Sunshine · Beach · Sandcastle · Seashell · Sunscreen · Sunglasses · Swimsuit · Towel · Lemonade · Picnic · Camping · Fireflies · Hiking · Bicycle · Sprinkler · Vacation · Hammock · Sailboat · Solstice · Tent · Kite

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Last-week folder: put the puzzle in the folder students bring home, with a note about reading every day over the summer.
  2. Summer list: after solving, students pick their three favorite answers and write one sentence about each.
  3. Packing sort: students sort the answers into what they would pack for the beach, for camping and for a picnic.
  4. Camp sheet: keep a stack for a rainy day when the outdoor schedule changes.
  5. Alphabetical order: students copy the twenty-two words in alphabetical order, an easy skill check.

Related

Questions

Is the puzzle OK for summer school?

Yes. The words are about the season, with no holidays in the list. Pick Easy for younger students or Hard and a 20 by 20 grid for fifth grade.

Can I add the places we go?

Yes. Add your town’s pool, lake or park, or the names of your summer-camp activities, to the box, and the puzzle rebuilds at once.

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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