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Thanksgiving Word Search (free printable)

A free Thanksgiving word search with twenty-two words (turkey, Mayflower, cranberry, gratitude), a word bank and an answer key, ready for the 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

Thanksgiving Word SearchThanksgiving Word SearchNameDateBTPARADEPLRPEDTCHFAMILYLCIUSBUHARVESTABHJMIWDDNSIGUBFPNIPNABVKTAUTUMNRGKGMLNFUGOGPUGMGIPPATUFOCVRLIRENSAAULFTOEIAYLAGRNARBIORPHKTMNVKOGKINDNESSLIOCYAFEOGMTAEQSMTUPGEYIATOQMSUCKUTIACORNBREADAOBDHSPMAYFLOWERSTFETCRANBERRYAEHBIEFIND THESE WORDSTURKEYPILGRIMSMAYFLOWERWAMPANOAGPLYMOUTHCRANBERRYSTUFFINGPUMPKINGRAVYCORNHARVESTFEASTGRATITUDETHANKFULFAMILYPARADEFOOTBALLSQUASHCORNBREADBLESSINGSKINDNESSAUTUMNPuzzle 74238Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Thanksgiving Word Search: answer keyThanksgiving Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.BTPARADEPLRPEDTCHFAMILYLCIUSBUHARVESTABHJMIWDDNSIGUBFPNIPNABVKTAUTUMNRGKGMLNFUGOGPUGMGIPPATUFOCVRLIRENSAAULFTOEIAYLAGRNARBIORPHKTMNVKOGKINDNESSLIOCYAFEOGMTAEQSMTUPGEYIATOQMSUCKUTIACORNBREADAOBDHSPMAYFLOWERSTFETCRANBERRYAEHBIEPuzzle 74238Free 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

A quiet task for the busy week before Thanksgiving break. The twenty-two words are the ones classes meet in books and discussions: the foods (turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry, pumpkin, cornbread), the history (Pilgrims, Mayflower, Plymouth, Wampanoag, harvest, feast) and the feelings (gratitude, thankful, family, kindness, blessings). The longest, Wampanoag and Mayflower, are nine letters, and the puzzle is set to Medium on a 15 by 15 grid, so it is a real challenge for third grade and a good fit for second grade with a partner. Print the answer key on page two for quick marking.

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

The words to find

Turkey · Pilgrims · Mayflower · Wampanoag · Plymouth · Cranberry · Stuffing · Pumpkin · Gravy · Corn · Harvest · Feast · Gratitude · Thankful · Family · Parade · Football · Squash · Cornbread · Blessings · Kindness · Autumn

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Gratitude list: after solving, students pick the three words they feel most thankful for and write why.
  2. History link: students find Mayflower, Plymouth and Wampanoag, then use a class text to write one fact about each.
  3. Menu planning: students circle the food words and plan a class feast menu using only those.
  4. Spelling check: students cover the word bank and write the words they found from memory.
  5. Fast finishers: those who finish write a sentence using four words from the puzzle.

Related

Questions

Is the puzzle suitable for kindergarten?

Choose Easy and a 10 × 10 grid and delete the longest words. For kindergarten, the Thanksgiving bingo cards with a caller are an easier match.

Can I add words about my class feast?

Yes. Type them in the box and the puzzle rebuilds. Up to 40 words fit on a sheet.

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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