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Thanksgiving Word Search

Harvest, a full table and the words for being grateful.

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Your puzzle

Where the words come from
Kind of puzzle
36 themes, grouped by kind.
4 to 25 from this theme
10 to 20 squares
Border
Answer key
Raise this to put a different one on every page.
Your word search

Thanksgiving Word Search

  • POTATOES
  • NUTMEG
  • TRADITION
  • CORN
  • LEFTOVER
  • ACORN
  • FAMILY
  • PUMPKIN
  • TURKEY
  • ROASTED
  • PLATTER
  • PIE

Created for free at puzzleandprint.com

Thanksgiving Word Search, Answer Key

  • POTATOES
  • NUTMEG
  • TRADITION
  • CORN
  • LEFTOVER
  • ACORN
  • FAMILY
  • PUMPKIN
  • TURKEY
  • ROASTED
  • PLATTER
  • PIE

Created for free at puzzleandprint.com

Or take one that is already made

Four sheets, each with a different job. Every one is a two-page PDF, the puzzle, then the answer key on its own page.

Large print11 × 11 · 7 words · EasyDownload PDF ↓Everyday14 × 14 · 11 words · MediumDownload PDF ↓More words15 × 15 · 14 words · MediumDownload PDF ↓Challenge17 × 17 · 15 words · HardDownload PDF ↓

This list is built from food, family and the season rather than the founding story. The holiday falls in both October and November depending on where you are, and only one of those traditions attaches a settlement narrative to it, so a harvest-and-gratitude list is the one that works in either classroom.

The cooking words are the strongest part. Casserole, cranberry, nutmeg, cinnamon and platter are specific and unusually long, which makes them satisfying to find and worth talking about afterwards. Most children can taste these words before they can spell them.

Grateful, thankful, blessing, sharing and abundance give the sheet a use beyond the puzzle. They are a ready-made prompt for the writing task that tends to accompany the week, and having just found a word makes a child more likely to use it.

The list is deliberately long on food so a family can do it at the table while something is in the oven. Print the large-print sheet for whoever is youngest and the challenge sheet for whoever claims to be best at these.

Common questions

Does this work in Canada as well as the United States?

Yes, and that is why it is built the way it is. The list is harvest and gratitude, HARVEST, BOUNTY, GATHER, THANKFUL and ORCHARD, rather than the founding story, which only one of the two countries attaches to the day.

Is it usable at the table?

It is one of the few sheets designed for the waiting rather than the meal. It occupies the gap between arriving and eating, it needs nothing but a pencil, and GRATEFUL, BLESSING and SHARING give the adults something to ask about.

How many words can I use?

Up to twenty-five. Ten to fifteen is comfortable for most grids. If you add more than the grid can hold, the tool tells you which words did not fit rather than silently leaving them out.

Why did one of my words not fit?

Either it is longer than the grid is wide, or the grid filled up before it could be placed. Try the next size up, remove a word, or press New puzzle for a different arrangement, a word that fails one layout often places fine in the next.

Can I make it easier for younger children?

Yes. Set difficulty to Easy so words only run left to right and top to bottom, and use a 10 by 10 grid with five to eight short words. That combination is manageable for most children who can read the words on the list.

Is there an answer key?

Always, and it prints on its own page so you can hand out the puzzle without it. Each answer is marked directly on a copy of the grid.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no sign-up, no email, and no watermark on the printed sheet. Puzzles are built in your browser, so your word list never reaches us.

Can I use these puzzles in my classroom?

Yes, use them with your class, your family, your club, or your care home, and print as many copies as you need. The one thing we ask is that you do not resell the sheets themselves.