This winter word search for kids has six puzzles for cold days indoors, and each one is a little harder than the one before. Easy Snow and Sled Search starts with a small 10 by 10 grid and eight short words, like hat, ice, fox and cold, that run only across or down. By Tricky Penguin and Seal Search the grid is 14 by 14, and fourteen words hide forward, backward, up, down and on the slant.
The words come from a child's own winter: boots, scarf, mittens, cocoa, igloo, husky, moose, walrus, icicle and a snowman. This winter word search free printable set comes as six PDFs, each with the answer key on page two, so a parent or teacher can check a finished sheet in a few seconds. The pages print on US Letter and A4 paper, with no sign-up and nothing to install.
The set suits ages 4 to 8, at home or in a first grade winter unit. Younger children can start on the two easy sheets with a grown-up reading the word list aloud, while confident readers can go straight to the tricky pages. For other themes, visit the word search puzzles page.
Download the winter word search puzzles
Easy Snow and Sled Search
A small 10 by 10 grid with eight short words, such as snow, sled, hat and fox, that run only across or down, the best page to start on.
Download PDFWord List: COAT, COLD, FOX, HAT, ICE, OWL, SLED, SNOW
Reveal Word List
Easy Scarf and Boots Search
An 11 by 11 grid with nine words like scarf, boots, mug and seal, still running only across or down, a good next step after the first sheet.
Download PDFWord List: BOOTS, COAT, FOX, MUG, OWL, SCARF, SEAL, SKI, WIND
Reveal Word List
Medium Skate and Cocoa Search
A 12 by 12 grid with ten words such as igloo, husky, moose and frost, where skate and cocoa slant on the diagonal for the first time in the set.
Download PDFWord List: BOOTS, COCOA, FROST, HUSKY, IGLOO, MOOSE, MUG, SCARF, SKATE, WIND
Reveal Word List
Medium Walrus and Cabin Search
A 12 by 12 grid with twelve longer words, including walrus, penguin, icicle and gloves, mostly across or down, with cabin running on the diagonal.
Download PDFWord List: CABIN, COCOA, GLOVES, HUSKY, ICICLE, IGLOO, JACKET, MOOSE, PENGUIN, SHOVEL, SKATE, WALRUS
Reveal Word List
Tricky Snowman and Blanket Search
A 13 by 13 grid with thirteen words where blanket, jacket and hat read from the bottom up and snowman, mittens and walrus cross on the diagonal.
Download PDFWord List: BLANKET, CABIN, COLD, GLOVES, HAT, ICE, ICICLE, JACKET, MITTENS, PENGUIN, SHOVEL, SNOWMAN, WALRUS
Reveal Word List
Tricky Penguin and Seal Search
The hardest page, a 14 by 14 grid with fourteen words hidden forward, backward, up, down and on both diagonals, with penguin reading right to left.
Download PDFWord List: BLANKET, COAT, COLD, FOX, HAT, ICE, JACKET, MITTENS, OWL, PENGUIN, SEAL, SKI, SLED, SNOWMAN
Reveal Word ListHow to use these puzzles
Each PDF has two pages. Page one is the puzzle and page two is the answer key, with every word circled in the same grid. Print page one alone for the child by choosing page 1 in your print settings, then print the key once for yourself. Print at 100 percent, or choose Fit to page if your printer asks. The PDF is US Letter size with margins that leave room for A4, so the grid and the word list stay whole on either paper.
Plain copy paper is fine for pencils, crayons and colored pencils. Markers and highlighters can soak through thin paper, so print on cardstock if your child likes to shade each word in a bright color. To use a sheet again and again, slide it into a clear plastic sleeve, circle the words with a dry-erase marker and wipe it clean for the next child.
Easy Snow and Sled Search and Easy Scarf and Boots Search are the easiest pages, with small grids, big letters and words that only run across or down. Medium Skate and Cocoa Search adds the first two slanted words, and Medium Walrus and Cabin Search has twelve longer words such as penguin, icicle and shovel. Tricky Snowman and Blanket Search has words that read from the bottom of the grid to the top, and Tricky Penguin and Seal Search comes last, with words that run right to left and backward on the slant.
Show new searchers one trick before they start: find the first letter of a word, then check the eight letters around it for the second one. A ruler or a finger under each row helps them keep their place, and crossing each word off the list shows how many are left to find.
Ideas for these puzzles
- Morning work: Put Easy Snow and Sled Search on desks as children come in on a winter morning. It settles a busy room, and early finishers can turn the sheet over and draw three of the words they found.
- Spelling practice: After the puzzle, have your child copy each word from the list onto lined paper, saying every letter out loud. Short words like hat and ice suit beginners, while mittens and blanket stretch stronger spellers.
- Word sorting: Write the words from one puzzle on cards and sort them into three piles: things to wear, winter animals and cold weather words. Moose, walrus and husky start a good talk about animals that live in the snow.
- Snow day folder: Keep all six puzzles and a pencil in a folder by the door. When school closes for snow or it is too icy to play outside, the folder is ready and nobody needs the printer.
- Partner search: Pair a stronger reader with a beginner on one shared sheet. One child reads a word from the list, the other hunts for it in the grid, and they swap jobs after every word they circle.
- Car trip pack: Clip two or three sheets to a clipboard with a pencil on a string for long winter drives. The easy pages work best on a bumpy road, and the answer keys stay up front.
- Picture word cards: After a puzzle, children pick five words and draw each on a small card, like a mug of cocoa or an owl in a tree. Punch holes and string the cards into a garland.
- Ice science: After the frost and icicle puzzles, put a cup of water in the freezer and check it every hour together. Children draw what they see each time and label the pictures with words from the puzzle.
- Make your own grid: Give children squared paper and let them build a small puzzle with five winter words for a friend or a younger sibling. Filling the empty squares with random letters is the part most children like best.
- Weekend tradition: Start a word search winter tradition with one new sheet every Saturday morning, beginning with the easy pages. Pin each finished puzzle on the fridge so your child can see the grids grow bigger week by week.
What age is this winter word search for?
The set is made for ages 4 to 8. Children who are still learning their letters can do the two easy sheets with a grown-up reading each word aloud. Confident readers in first and second grade usually like the tricky pages best, where words run backward, up the grid and on the slant and take more careful looking.
Is the winter word search printable on A4 paper?
Yes. The PDFs are set to US Letter, and the margins are wide enough that each page prints in full on A4 as well. Leave scaling at 100 percent or choose Fit to page, and check the preview before you print. The grid, the word list and the answer key all stay on the sheet.
Where is the answer key?
Every PDF has two pages. Page one is the puzzle, and page two shows the same grid with each word circled, so you can check work at a glance. If you would rather children not see it, print page one only and keep a single copy of the key for yourself or for the teacher's desk.
Can I use these puzzles in my classroom?
Yes. Teachers, homeschool parents and tutors can print as many copies as their own students need. The puzzles are free for personal and classroom use. Please do not sell them, add them to a paid pack or post the PDF files on another website. Sharing a link to this page with other parents is always welcome.
What should my child use to circle the words?
A pencil works best for beginners, because a wrong circle can be erased. Crayons and colored pencils make it easy to mark each word in a different color, which helps on the busier grids. Highlighters look bright but can soak through thin paper, so save them for cardstock or a sheet inside a plastic sleeve.
