Thanksgiving Word Search
Two Thanksgiving word searches on one page each: an easy puzzle for kindergarten through second grade (words hide right, down and diagonally only) and a harder one for grades 3-5 (words run in all eight directions, backwards included). The word lists are real November vocabulary — harvest, gratitude, cornucopia — so the hunt doubles as a vocabulary lesson.
Easy Thanksgiving Word Search
Kindergarten – Grade 2 · words run right, down, and diagonally
| B | O | A | U | T | F | P | R | F | A | K | F |
| A | S | T | E | T | A | A | I | K | U | T | F |
| K | H | U | A | U | L | U | F | E | T | K | F |
| E | A | F | C | R | L | N | E | U | U | U | U |
| S | R | A | F | K | E | F | A | F | M | A | A |
| A | E | L | A | E | S | A | S | U | N | I | S |
| A | Y | A | M | Y | F | M | T | Y | N | T | E |
| M | M | L | R | E | K | I | C | Y | M | E | E |
| T | H | A | N | K | S | L | T | O | N | A | M |
| U | A | T | E | L | L | Y | L | A | R | A | A |
| L | E | A | F | I | E | H | F | K | U | N | U |
| A | L | L | T | S | N | C | T | E | F | R | F |
Words to find
- autumn
- bake
- corn
- fall
- family
- feast
- leaf
- pie
- share
- thanks
- turkey
- yam
12 words
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
Hard Thanksgiving Word Search
Grades 3–5 · words run in all eight directions, backwards too
| R | C | E | L | E | B | R | A | T | E | B | T | I |
| S | A | G | N | I | S | S | E | L | B | R | R | C |
| L | T | R | T | S | P | E | R | L | A | P | E | O |
| U | D | U | U | T | P | G | N | D | V | U | B | A |
| F | I | R | F | A | T | E | I | R | C | M | M | K |
| E | R | F | V | F | N | T | U | O | C | P | E | T |
| T | G | R | A | T | I | T | U | D | E | K | V | R |
| A | P | C | E | O | I | N | E | R | I | I | O | M |
| R | O | E | N | U | Y | T | G | I | K | N | N | E |
| G | C | O | R | N | U | C | O | P | I | A | P | T |
| E | L | C | B | K | C | I | T | S | M | U | R | D |
| H | R | S | Y | R | R | E | B | N | A | R | C | R |
| S | N | K | H | A | R | V | E | S | T | B | E | N |
Words to find
- blessing
- celebrate
- cornucopia
- cranberry
- drumstick
- grateful
- gratitude
- harvest
- november
- pumpkin
- stuffing
- tradition
12 words
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
PNG version — the exact file Download PNG saves
What each level asks of the solver
The easy puzzle keeps every word reading forwards — left to right, top to bottom, or down-right — because hunting backwards is a separate skill from recognizing words at all. For a kindergartner, finding TURKEY along a diagonal is genuine work: the eye has to hold six letters in order while ignoring the decoy letters packed around them. That is the quiet curriculum inside any word search — visual discrimination, letter-sequence memory, and the discipline to scan a full line without skipping.
The harder puzzle turns on all eight directions, the standard upper-elementary format. The Thanksgiving list runs long — CORNUCOPIA is ten letters, TRADITION and CELEBRATE nine — so finding them takes systematic scanning: down each column, across each row, then both diagonals. Teachers use these the week before break, at the kids' table on the day itself, and as early-finisher bins all November, and the gratitude vocabulary (grateful, blessing, gratitude) rides along with the scanning practice.
Teaching tips
Front-load the vocabulary
Read the word list aloud together before the pencil touches the grid — a word search is a reading task only after the words are known. Cornucopia and gratitude are the two that usually need a quick definition or picture first.
Teach the scan, not just the hunt
Strong solvers scan one full row at a time, then columns, then diagonals — not random hops. Naming that routine out loud once turns word search time into a strategy lesson instead of luck.
The week before break
November word searches are the classic pre-break seatwork: they hold focus while the room is full of pumpkin-bread energy. Print double-sided with the color-by-number sheet and the morning runs itself.
Found is not finished
Have early finishers write each found word in a sentence on the back — "I am grateful for…" works for half the list. November vocabulary becomes November writing, and you get five quiet minutes of assessment for free.
Frequently asked questions
What words are in the Thanksgiving word search?
The easy puzzle (K-2) hides pie, corn, yam, fall, leaf, bake, share, family, turkey, feast, thanks and autumn. The harder puzzle (grades 3-5) hides grateful, harvest, november, pumpkin, tradition, celebrate, cranberry, stuffing, gratitude, blessing, drumstick and cornucopia.
How hard is each puzzle?
The easy puzzle is a 12x12 grid where words run only right, down, or down-right — nothing reads backwards. The hard puzzle is a 13x13 grid where words run in all eight directions, including reversed and upward, the standard grades 3-5 format.
What grade is a Thanksgiving word search for?
Kindergarten through fifth grade. The easy grid suits K-2 as letter-recognition and seasonal vocabulary work; the eight-direction grid suits grades 3-5 as morning work the week before Thanksgiving break.
Is the word list secular?
Yes — the lists stick to food, family, fall and gratitude vocabulary (feast, harvest, grateful, cornucopia). Nothing religious, so the puzzles work in public-school classrooms and at any family table.
Does it print in black and white?
Yes — the puzzles are letters only, so a plain black-and-white copier print works fine. Print one letter page per puzzle at 100% scale.