Digital and Printable Holiday Word Search & Crossword Puzzles for the Whole Year

These holiday word search and crossword puzzles help you teach your students about 19 Federal and other American holidays. Each resource in this bundle includes 3 word search puzzles at different levels of difficulty and 1 crossword puzzle with a word bank; print and digital versions of all puzzles provided. All the puzzles for each holiday use the same 20 vocabulary words. Please see below for lists of the words. These holiday puzzles are a great way to give your students information about U.S. holidays!

✓ Please note:

★ Each holiday word search and crossword puzzle resource is available individually but you'll save 20% by purchasing this big bundle. Please click on the links below for more info about the resources.

★ Small bundles with 4 or 5 resources are also available at a savings of 20% off the cost of purchasing the resources individually. Click HERE for the January & February bundle; click HERE for the March, April & May bundle; click HERE for the June, July & September bundle; and click HERE for the October, November & December bundle.

Bundle at a Glance:

★ What will students learn?

*Vocabulary words about each holiday.

★ Who is it for?

* English Language Learners at intermediate and higher levels of English language proficiency.

* Students who are unfamiliar with any of these holidays.

★ How does it help teachers?

* Puzzles introduce holiday-specific vocabulary words to your students so they better understand what each holiday is about.

* Puzzles can be a springboard to discussing the history, customs, traditions, and ways of celebrating the holidays.

* The puzzles are very versatile and can be used with early finishers, for homework, as a reward, for fun, and in literacy centers.

* With puzzles for every month of the year except August, it’s easy to celebrate major holidays in your class.

* With both Print and Google Drive versions included, this bundle of holiday puzzles can be use when teaching in-person or in distance/remote/virtual teaching.

More Info:

All the word searches are available at 3 levels of difficulty, based on the direction the words are written in the puzzles, so they can meet the needs of all your students, including English Language Learners. Answer keys are provided for all the word searches and crossword puzzles. In addition, each resource includes a word bank for the crossword puzzle for students who need more support.

In every individual resource, both Print and Google Drive™ versions are provided for all the puzzles. A PDF file includes teacher notes, instructions for accessing the online materials, instructions for completing the puzzles as well as all the word search and crossword puzzles with their answer keys and word bank. The Google Drive™ materials include directions for using the materials, the word search and crossword puzzles, the word bank, and the answer keys for the puzzles.

Here are some suggestions for using the resources in this whole year bundle of holiday puzzles:

★ For words that may be new, students can find their definitions and use those words in sentences.

★ Students can draw pictures that illustrate the words to show their understanding.

★ More proficient students can write paragraphs or stories that include some of the words.

★ Extend your students’ learning by having them record their sentences or stories online, for speaking and technology practice.

★ Ask students to describe orally or in writing how their family celebrates the holiday or, if they are new to the U.S., if there is a similar holiday in their country.

Each individual resource also lists suggestions for use that are tailored to that particular holiday.

You can use this resource remotely in 2 ways:

a) When teaching synchronously or asynchronously online, use the Google Drive version.

b) For students to do on their own: Photocopy the puzzle(s) you want your students to do and the appropriate answer key (if you want students to correct their work themselves) and email/send the material home. Alternatively, if students have printers, email the puzzle(s) to them and tell them to print the work out themselves. Tell students what to do and have them email/send you their work when they’ve completed the puzzle(s). Use the rubric to correct the work if you prefer doing that yourself.

The New Year’s Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 5 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Auld Lang Syne, Baby, Balloons, Champagne, Confetti, Dance, Eve, Fireworks, Floats, football, January, Kiss, Midnight, Parade, Party, Resolution, Rose Bowl, Television, Times Square, Toast.

The Martin Luther King Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 5 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Assassinated, Birmingham, Birthday, Boycott, Bus, Church, Dream, Gandhi, Jail, January, March, Martyr, Minister, Nobel Peace Prize, Nonviolence, Racism, Segregation, Speech.

The Valentine’s Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 6 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Arrow, Be Mine, Bow, Candy, Card, Chocolate, Cupid, Dinner, February, Flowers, Heart, Love, Pink, Poetry, Red, Romantic, Roses, Secret, Sweetheart, Valentine.

The Presidents Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 6 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Assassinated, Birthday, Cherry Tree, Emancipation, February, General, Gettysburg, Independence, Kentucky, Lawyer, Lincoln, Mary, Martha, Revolution, Slavery, Surveyor, Valley Forge, Virginia, War, Washington.

The St. Patrick’s Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 5 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: Beer, Cabbage, Catholic, Clover, Corned Beef, Green, Irish, Leprechaun, Luck, March, Missionary, Patrick, Potatoes, Pot of Gold, Rainbow, Religion, Saint, Shamrock, Snakes, Symbol.

The Earth Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 4 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: Air, April, Climate, Earth, Endangered, Energy, Environment, Future, Green, Litter, Nature, Planet, Pollution, Preserve, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Technology, Trees, Water.

The Mother's Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 4 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: Appreciate, Breakfast, Brunch, Buffet, Candy, Card, Children, Daughter, Flowers, Gift, Gratitude, Hug, Jewelry, Love, May, Mom, Mother, Relax, Son, Sunday.

The Memorial Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 4 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: Bugle, Cemetery, Died, Flag, Flowers, Freedom, Honor, May, Military, Monday, Parade, Picnic, Sacrifice, Soldiers, Summer, Taps, Tribute, War, Wreath.

The Flag Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 4 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: Allegiance, Banner, Betsy Ross, Blue, Ceremony, Colonies, Display, Flag, Freedom, June, Old Glory, Patriotism, Pledge, Pole, Red, Salute, Stars, Stripes, Symbol, White.

The Father’s Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 4 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: Appreciate, Card, Children, Dad, Daughter, Dinner, Father, Gift, Gratitude, Hobby, Hug, June, Love, Play, Relax, Son, Sports, Sunday, Television, Tie, Tools.

The Juneteenth resource is aimed at students in Grades 5 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: Barbecue, Confederacy, Emancipation, Enslaved, Equality, Flag, Galveston, Granger, Independence, June, Lincoln, Nineteenth, Picnic, Prayer, Proclamation, Rodeo, Slavery, Soda Pop, Texas, Union.

The Independence Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 5 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: America, Bunting, Colonies, Commemorate, Concert, Declaration, England, Fireworks, Flag, Fourth, Freedom, Independence, July, King, Liberty, Parade, Philadelphia, Picnic, Sparkler, War.

The Labor Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 6 - 8. The terms used in the puzzles are: AFL-CIO, Barbecue, Factory, Guarantee, Job, Labor, Manufacturing, Monday, Negotiate, Organize, Parade, Picnic, September, Shopping, Strike, Summer, Union, Wages, Workday, Worker.

The Columbus Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 5 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Admiral, Caravel, Caribbean, Columbus, Disease, Expedition, Explorer, Ferdinand, Genoa, Gold, Hispaniola, Indies, Isabella, New World, October, Old World, San Salvador, Slavery, Spain, Taino.

The Halloween resource is aimed at students in Grades 3 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Apple, Bat, Broom, Candy, Cat, Cauldron, Cemetery, Coffin, Costume, Ghost, Jack O'lantern, Moon, Mummy, Pumpkin, Skeleton, Skull, Trick or Treat, Vampire, Witch, Zombie.

The Veterans Day resource is aimed at students in Grades 4 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Air Force, Armistice, Army, Cemetery, Honor, Marines, Military, Navy, November, Parade, Poppy, Sacrifice, Service, Soldier, Tomb, Unknown, Veteran, War, Warrior, Wreath.

The Thanksgiving resource is aimed at students in Grades 4 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Colonists, Corn, Cranberry, English, Family, Gravy, Harvest, Indians, Massachusetts, Native Americans, November, Pie, Pilgrims, Pumpkin, Settlers, Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Thanksgiving, Turkey, Wampanoag.

The Christmas & Chanukah resource is aimed at students in Grades 5 - 8. The words used in the puzzles are: Applesauce, Candles, Carols, Chanukah, Christmas, Dreidel, Elves, Gelt, Gifts, Ham, Latkes, Light, Maccabees, Menorah, Mistletoe, Oil, Reindeer, Santa Claus, Stocking, Tree.

If you are looking for a fun and engaging way to teach about American holidays, these holiday puzzles for the whole year are for you!

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What you get in this whole year bundle of holiday word search & crossword puzzles:

In the PDF file for each resource:

★ A list of materials in the PDF and Google Drive™ files (1 page)

★ Notes to the Teacher (explanatory information for teachers) (1 page)

★ Instructions for accessing the Google Drive™ materials (1 page)

★ Instructions for doing the online versions of the puzzles (4 pages)

★ 3 word search puzzles with answer keys (6 pages)

★ Word bank for the crossword puzzle (1 page)

★ 1 crossword puzzle with answer key (2 pages)

★ Copyright, related products, social media, and credits information (1 page)

★ Cover page (1 page)

In the Google Drive™ materials for each resource:

★ Instructions for doing the online versions of the puzzles (4 slides)

★ 3 word search puzzles with answer keys (6 slides)

★ Word bank for the crossword puzzle (1 slide)

★ 1 crossword puzzle with answer key (2 slides)

★ Cover page (1 slide)

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