Back To School Word Search Puzzles For Kids

Back to school word search puzzles can be a great educational activity for the beginning of a school year.

Below you will find free printable back to school word search puzzles for students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade. The words used in each puzzle correspond to the back to school themed spelling words of each of those respective grades.

If you have an older elementary aged student, here’s a 5th grade and 6th grade back to school word search. Or try this more challenging word search with 35 hidden words.

Back To School Word Search 2nd Grade

This easy back to school word search is perfect for second graders:

large print letters
only 10 words to find and circle in a 12 X 12 grid of uppercase letters
the words on the puzzle are the second grade back to school themed spelling words
words are hidden horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, in the direction easiest to read. There are no backwards words.

Easy back to school word search puzzle for kids around 2nd grade spelling level. 10 hidden words hidden in a 12 X 12 grid of large print letters. Free printable black and white pdf with answers.

The puzzle can be downloaded free below.

If you’re interested, you can also snag this 2nd grade back to school crossword puzzle that uses these same words. Or for even more spelling practice, you can print off this back to school word unscramble page.

Back To School Word Search 3rd Grade

This back to school word search is ideal for a student in third grade. The words of the puzzle are from these grade 3 themed spelling words.

Free printable back to school word search puzzle for kids beginning grade 3. 12 hidden 3rd grade spelling words hidden in a 12 X 12 grid of large print letters. Free printable black and white pdf with answers.

The 12 words are hidden vertically, horizontally, and diagonally in a 12 X 12 grid of uppercase letters.

There are no backwards words and all of the words are in the direction easiest to read.

You can download the pdf of this puzzle completely free below. There’s an answer sheet that comes with it.

Back To School Word Search 4th Grade

And finally this word search is designed with a fourth grader in mind. The words are the back to school themed words of these grade 4 spelling words.

Free printable back to school word search puzzle for kids starting 4th grade. 14 hidden grade 4 spelling words hidden in a 14 X 14 grid of large print letters. Free printable black and white pdf with answers.

There are 14 school words hidden horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, forwards and backwards. They are hidden in a 14 X 14 grid of uppercase letters.

The 4th grade puzzle can be downloaded free below.

Benefits of a Word Search

A school word search for kids is an easy print and go activity that benefits both teachers and students.

Benefits For Teachers

Teachers can have one handy for when they need their students to work quietly and independently for a time.

Benefits For Students

Students will probably appreciate the relaxing nature of a word search puzzle, that will give them a few minutes to unwind from the excitement the new school year brings. Plus they can be quite fun to do.

But a word search is not just a fun time-filler. It also has educational benefit as well. Since kids will literally be studying the letters that make up each word, a word search is especially helpful for students to work on spelling.