View all 2 pagesWinter picture word search (Easy)
Reading winter words (snowman, sled, mittens) and finding them across and down
Answer key on page 2
2 pages298 KB
Winter Word Searches
Winter word searches at three levels: snow, weather, animals, clothes and sports, all with answer keys.
Download the winter word search worksheets
Easy (K–2)
View all 2 pages
View all 2 pagesWinter animals word search (Easy)
Reading winter words (penguin, bear, owl) and finding them across and down
Answer key on page 2
2 pages288 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter word search with a word list (Easy)
Reading winter words (snow, ice, cold) and finding them across and down
Answer key on page 2
2 pages38 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter word search for kindergarten
Finding and reading short winter words
Answer key on page 2
2 pages234 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter word search
Finding and reading theme words by their spelling
Answer key on page 2
2 pages286 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter word search
Reading and finding winter words in a letter grid
Answer key on page 2
2 pages42 KB
View all 2 pagesSnowman word search
Reading and finding snowman words in a letter grid
Answer key on page 2
2 pages43 KB
Medium (3rd–4th)
View all 2 pagesWinter weather word search (Medium)
Reading and finding 14 winter words (blizzard, frost, icicle) across, down and on a slant
Answer key on page 2
2 pages49 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter animals word search (Medium)
Reading and finding 14 winter words (penguin, polar bear, walrus) across, down and on a slant
Answer key on page 2
2 pages49 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter clothes word search (Medium)
Reading and finding 14 winter words (mittens, gloves, scarf) across, down and on a slant
Answer key on page 2
2 pages47 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter sports word search (Medium)
Reading and finding 14 winter words (skating, skiing, sledding) across, down and on a slant
Answer key on page 2
2 pages49 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter word search
Reading and finding winter words (blizzard, hibernate, solstice)
Answer key on page 2
2 pages47 KB
Hard (5th and up)
View all 2 pagesWinter word Search: hard
Finding 22 winter words (winter, december, january) in all 8 directions, including backwards
Answer key on page 2
2 pages56 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter animals word Search: hard
Finding 22 winter words (hibernation, migration, polar bear) in all 8 directions, including backwards
Answer key on page 2
2 pages58 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter weather word Search: hard
Finding 20 winter words (precipitation, condensation, crystals) in all 8 directions, including backwards
Answer key on page 2
2 pages55 KB
View all 2 pagesWinter word Search: expert
Finding 26 winter words (snowflakes, snowballs, snowman) in all 8 directions, including backwards
Answer key on page 2
2 pages62 KB
Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.
About these winter word search worksheets
These free winter word search printables come in three levels, so the same holiday puzzle works for a kindergartner and a fifth grader. The themes cover snow and weather, winter animals, winter clothes and winter sports.
Easy puzzles have big letters, a picture word bank, and words that only go across and down. Medium puzzles are 12x12 to 14x14 grids with words across, down and on a slant. Hard puzzles are 16x16 to 18x18 grids where words run in all 8 directions, including backwards: a real challenge for older kids and adults.
Every puzzle has an answer key on page 2 with each word ringed. Each word appears in its grid exactly once, and the filler letters are checked so no unkind words show up by accident. For more holiday puzzles, see the Christmas word search and Christmas crossword pages.
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.6Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.6Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that pertain to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.6Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).
How to use them
- Pick the level that fits: easy for K–2, medium for 3rd and 4th grade, hard for 5th grade and up.
- Before younger children start, read the word bank aloud together and point to each picture.
- Use a hard puzzle as a timed partner challenge, or put one in the holiday party or early-finisher basket.
Teaching tips
- Teach a strategy: look for the first letter of a word, then check the eight letters around it for the second letter.
- On hard puzzles, remind children that words can run backwards and up, not just across and down.
- Have children say or spell each word as they ring it, so the puzzle doubles as reading and spelling practice.
Questions teachers and parents ask
Are these winter word searches free?
Yes. Every puzzle is a free PDF for US Letter or A4, with no sign-up, and the answer key is on page 2.
Is there a hard winter word search?
Yes. The hard puzzles are 16x16 to 18x18 grids with 20 to 26 words hidden in all 8 directions, including backwards. They suit 5th graders, older kids and adults.
Which puzzle should I give a kindergartner?
Use an easy puzzle with a picture word bank. The letters are big and the words only go across and down, so children can match each picture to its word and then find it.
What words are in the puzzles?
Holiday vocabulary such as snow, blizzard, mittens, penguin and sledding words. Medium and hard puzzles add longer, less common words to stretch older readers.