A first holiday puzzle
Five- and six-year-olds often want to join in when older children do word searches, but standard puzzles are too much for them. This one keeps things small: a 10 × 10 grid and eight short words such as pie, corn, leaf and feast. Words run only across and down, in the same directions children are learning to read and write.
Doing it together
- Read each word aloud and talk about what it means at Thanksgiving.
- Ask "What letter does corn start with?" and hunt for that letter first.
- Check the next letters one at a time, using a finger to keep the place.
- Tick the word on the list, then choose a new crayon for the next one.
Good moments to use it
It works as a morning settling activity in the short week before the break. At home, it can keep a younger child busy at the kitchen table while dinner is being made.
Change it to fit
Add a child's name, a family dish or a pet to the list. Keep new words to five letters or fewer so the puzzle stays manageable, and press "New sheet" for a different grid.