Last Updated on September 2, 2024
This printable Fall Word Search puzzle is a great activity to get kids excited about the changing season and also reinforce some spelling practice and observation skills on the sly.
Whether you just want a simple, frugal activity to keep kids occupied as you prepare Thanksgiving dinner or you want to entertain kids on a rainy autumn day, this free printable word search puzzle is a great choice.
This worksheet is medium hard difficulty. Words run horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. However, none of the words run backward.
Many of the words are seven letters or more, making this a fun challenge for early readers.
It’s ideal for kids who are comfortable with word hunts looking to improve their skill level. As kids get better, seeking out higher difficulty levels in more challenging word searches can be very rewarding.
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Why are Word Searches Good for Students?
There’s a reason word search puzzles are such popular classroom educational tools for teachers of almost any subject. These simple seek-and-find puzzles provide several mental benefits to kids.
Here are just a few of the skills these searches help to improve:
Spelling
Because word hunts require children to look closely at words and then find the corresponding letters in the puzzle, kids naturally gain familiarity with how to spell those words.
Vocabulary
Because word seeks are often themed, as this fall word search is, it’s easier for kids to identify and remember new words and their meanings. Used in conjunction with crossword puzzles, which introduce definitions, these can be valuable vocabulary-building tools.
Reading Ability
Even though word searches don’t tell a story exactly, they do provide children with plenty of opportunities to look for and identify context clues, a key reading skill. Not only do they draw inferences from the theme, but they also learn to look for unique letter combinations.
Reasoning
In order to complete the puzzle, children will often develop their own strategies to find words quickly. They may start with looking at the edges to find words that are easier to spot.
Some kids study the list of words first then go line by line forwards and backwards horizontally, then vertically, to find as many words as possible. Then, they browse diagonally to find the diagonal words.
No matter what technique they use, kids almost always develop their own unique strategy which is a great way to exercise reasoning.
Differentiation
Very often, these types of word puzzles present red herrings. Combinations of letters in the puzzle will be similar to those in one of the clue words, but not identical. This forces kids to pay close attention and be able to differentiate between the actual word and the misleading one.
The best thing about word hunts is that kids actually enjoy doing them. They don’t even realize how much they’re learning in the process and the analytical skills they are gaining.
Words Included in This Fall Word Search
Fall is my favorite season so hundreds of words and images come to mind when I think of it. Keeping kids in mind, and the purpose of the puzzle, this word list captures several of those terms while offering great variety at the same time.
The included words vary in length, level of difficulty, and concept (e.g. general terms, foods, activities, and items):
- General Terms: Autumn, September, October, November
- Food: Corn, Apples, Apple Cider, Pumpkin
- Activities: Bonfire, Thanksgiving, Harvest, Carnival, Football
- Items: Boots, Rake, Leaves, Sweater, Sunflower
Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools for Printables
Here are some tools that may be useful if you plan on making copies of this fall word search.
Printer: This one is a great budget printer. If you’re willing to spend just a little more though, this is a better option. And if you’re looking for an all-in-one home office machine, this one does it all, has high reviews and includes 2 years of ink.
Ink cartridges: Speaking of ink, this is where the cost of using printables can really add up! To save BIG on ink, buy it from CompAndSave.com. It’s substantially cheaper than anywhere else and they carry ink for all major printer brands and models.
Printer paper or cardstock: If you’re printing for one-time, quick use, print on regular printer paper. If you need the printout to hold up to being handled often or if you plan to laminate it to use it multiple times, choose cardstock.
Laminator: Laminating your printable is an inexpensive way to use it multiple times. Just use dry erase markers and wipe off when you’re done so you can use it again! Alternately, you can cover the printable with clear contact paper to achieve the same thing or place the printable in clear page protectors.
Binder or Folder: If you’re using page protectors for your printables, binders are such an easy way to keep them together and organized. I love this colorful set. If you prefer to stick with standard white though, this set is highly rated and very affordable. And if you need larger binders, this set is terrific. If you go with folders, I like these.
Storage boxes: I like to keep a collection of coloring pages and activity sheets for kids in these plastic storage boxes that I pull out whenever I need to keep kids occupied.
Hole punch: If you don’t use page protectors but want to use binders to organize your printables, a hole puncher will be your best friend. This is the one you want if you’ll be punching holes in several pages at a time and want to do so easily. And this bargain option is ideal if you don’t mind limiting your hole punching to 2-3 pages at a time.
Creative Ways to Use This Printable
There are many ways to get creative with the word search for your class or at home. Here are some ideas:
List More Words
A wonderful add-on activity once the puzzle is completed is to have kids list other words that remind them of fall. Not only is this a good way to get them thinking, but you’ll also learn a lot about the things they notice and like.
Write a Story
Have the kids write a story using the words from the word seek. You can choose to have them use all of the words or just a set amount of the words.
You can also just let them use as many of the words that they can and give a prize to the student who uses the most words in their story (as long as it makes sense).
Draw a Picture
Once the kids are finished finding all of the words, have them turn the paper over and draw a fall picture illustrating some, or all, of the words they found.
Download the Free Printable Fall Word Search with Answer Key
This printable is completely free. To download and print the free Fall Word Search PDF and answer key sheet, simply fill in the form below.
Printable FAQs
Fill in the form above. After you submit the form, you’ll receive an email from “Wondermom Wannabe” with a direct link to the printable. If you do not see the email in your inbox within a few minutes, check your spam folder.
The most likely place will be in your computer’s Downloads folder. You can also select “Downloads” in your browser menu to see a list of your downloads, then simply select “Show in folder” below the file name to see where it is stored on your computer.
You’ll need a program that supports PDFS, like Adobe Acrobat (which is free). Open the program, click File > Print. Select your printer and set the number of copies you want to print. Double check your print preview, then click print.
Additional Word Puzzles
If you enjoyed this autumn word search, check out some of these other fun word activities.
- Easy Fall Word Search for Kids: Full of fall-themed words this is a fun and educational kids printable for home or school, perfect puzzle for kids in early elementary.
- Fall Crossword Puzzle: This is another fun educational activity that children in elementary school will enjoy.
- Halloween Word Search: A printable Halloween word search for kids is a great activity for children for home or even for school Halloween and fall parties.
- Halloween Crossword Puzzle: This puzzle with Halloween-themed words is great for school, fall parties or just for fun at home.
Additional Seasonal Ideas
Continue the fall fun with your kids with these exciting activities.
- If you have pre-readers, check out this Fall I Spy.
- Download these free Fall coloring pages from Crayola.
- Celebrate autumn as a family by playing Fall Bingo or Fall Scattergories.
- Get outside to enjoy a hayride or pumpkin patch.
- Find a Fall Festival near you.
I am unable to see the link to register for the word search. It is not showing on my screen at all. Can you help?
It’s not a link, it’s a rectangular area where you enter your email. It’s near the bottom of the post under the heading, Download the Free Printable Fall Word Search with Answer Key. Under the words “Free Printable Fall Word Search with Answer Key Get it sent right to your inbox” is a place where it says “youremail.com” just click on that space, enter your email, and click on the blue “Yes, please!” button and you’ll be sent the free printable. When you scroll down to this location in the post, you might have to wait a second for the sign up box to show up. If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Great Resources
Thank you, I’m glad you find them useful. Thanks for commenting.
Great blog post have recently become obsessed with this word puzzle and can’t get enough of it.
Thanks for commenting. Word puzzles are so much fun to complete! I have plenty more on my blog and in my store if you’re looking for more of them.
i can’t find the words autumn, leaves, rake, or carnival. KEY??
If you scroll down the post, you’ll see the headline “Printable Fall Word Search” and these directions: To download and print the Fall Word Search PDF simply click the image below. The file (which includes the Fall Word Search Answer Key) will open in a new tab and you can save and/or print it directly from there.