Summer Word Search Puzzles

I hope your kids will enjoy these free summer word search puzzles with summer themed words. They are ideal for students in grade 2, 3 and 4.

Word search puzzles can be a fun and relaxing past time for kids, but they are also a great educational activity. Kids will be improving their spelling skills at the same time.

This first puzzle is at a second grade level. The words are from the summer themed spelling week of these grade 2 spelling words.

The next word search is designed with a third grader in mind as the words are from these grade 3 spelling words.

And finally this word search puzzle has the fourth grade summer themed spelling words. So it would be perfect for a grade 4 student.

You can download all of these summer word search puzzles below. They come with answer sheets.

Summer Spelling with Word Searches

We homeschool throughout the summer, all year round. However, we have a much less formal, lighter schedule in the summer.

Spelling is a subject I like to subtly weave throughout the summer months. This summer, we are going to be working with the summer themed words, one grade at a time. This is my plan:

1. introduce each grades list of summer words with the corresponding crossword puzzle
2. later the matching summer word search puzzle
3. spend a few minutes discussing the letters that make up the sounds of each word
4. create regular journal entries throughout the summer

Crossword Puzzles

I have also created summer themed crossword puzzles that go along with these summer words, one puzzle per grade.

Crosswords are a great way to work on the vocabulary or meaning of the words, as well as their spellings.

Summer Word Search Puzzles

Word searches are an excellent way for kids to naturally learn the spellings of words.

They will be looking at the letters that make up each word and probably repeating those letters to themselves. For example if the word is “picnic”, their internal dialogue will probably go something like this: “PICNIC, ok I got to look for P I C….P I C….oh there’s a P…..P I…no no C….oh there I found it, P I C N I C.“

Phonics Discussion

My daughter is not yet able to learn the spellings of a list of words by herself. If she tries to study by herself, it’s almost like she tries to memorize the letters. She repeats the order of the letters to herself, and then moves on to the next word, hoping that she will magically retain it.

This rarely works so I find spending a few minutes with her to almost guide her studying saves us both a lot of time. This is generally what I have her do:

1. say the word out loud while looking at the word
2. spell the word out loud while looking at it
3. verbally break the word in syllables
4. I’ll ask her which letters make a certain sound in the word
5. one syllable at a time say the syllable and then say the letters that make up that syllable
6. Repeat steps 1 & 2

Summer Journal Entries

The best way to learn the spellings of words well is to use the words regularly. And what better time to use summer type words than during the summer.

Do you know those kids notebooks (affiliate link) that are blank on the top half of each page, for kids to draw a picture, and has lines on the bottom half for kids to write? Well those are the type of books my daughter uses as a journal.

And this summer I’m going to have her keep a journal. She loves to draw so she’ll enjoy that part. And below she can write a few sentences about what she did that day or whatever.

I don’t mind if she looks at the summer themed words when she needs some help with the spellings, almost like a word bank or a custom dictionary. And the more she uses the words, the more she’ll learn them. Eventually she’ll know them well and won’t need to look at them at all.

Download your free copy of the summer word search puzzles below.