Looking for a quick, fun, and screen-free activity for Thanksgiving? On this page, you’ll find four free printables you can download and print at home or school:
- Easy Thanksgiving word search for small kids
- Large-print Thanksgiving word search
- Cozy autumn word scramble
- Classic Thanksgiving word scramble
They’re perfect for classrooms, homeschool, Thanksgiving dinner, kids’ tables, and family game nights.
Download Your Free Thanksgiving Word Puzzles
Use this section to introduce each printable and place your image preview + download button or link underneath.
Easy Thanksgiving Word Search for Small Kids
This free printable Thanksgiving word search is designed for younger kids who are still building reading confidence. The grid is simple, and the words are short and familiar, like “turkey,” “leaf,” “corn,” and “pie.”
You can use this easy Thanksgiving word search:
- As a calm morning warm-up before the holiday break
- At the kids’ table while adults are cooking
- For kindergarten and early elementary students who are just learning Thanksgiving vocabulary
Teachers and parents often use word searches like this to reinforce new seasonal words in a low-pressure way, especially when they’re combined with reading and discussion activities.Twinkl+1
Place your preview image and “Download Easy Thanksgiving Word Search (PDF)” button here.
Large-Print Thanksgiving Word Search (Kids, Teens & Seniors)
This large-print Thanksgiving word search is ideal when you want something a bit more challenging and easier to read:
- Bigger letters and clearer spacing
- A slightly longer list of Thanksgiving-themed words
- Suitable for older kids, teens, adults, and seniors
Use it for:
- A quick literacy center in Grade 3+
- A fun activity for grandparents and grandkids to solve together
- Thanksgiving day family competitions (time how fast everyone can finish)
Many free printable Thanksgiving word search activities online group puzzles by difficulty level so you can match the challenge to your learners.The Spruce Crafts+1
Place your preview image and “Download Large-Print Thanksgiving Word Search (PDF)” button here.
Cozy Autumn Word Scramble Printable
This autumn word scramble focuses on cozy fall words you can use from September through November, not just on Thanksgiving Day. Kids unscramble mixed-up letters to reveal words like leaves, harvest, pumpkin, sweater, and more.
How to use this autumn word scramble:
- As a quick fall literacy center
- For early finishers during your autumn units
- Paired with fall coloring pages or journal prompts
You can turn it into a game by setting a timer and seeing who can unscramble the most words correctly.
Place your preview image and “Download Autumn Word Scramble (PDF)” button here.
Thanksgiving Word Scramble Printable (Holiday Version)
This classic Thanksgiving word scramble worksheet focuses on holiday-specific words: turkey, stuffing, pilgrims, gratitude, cornucopia, and similar terms.
Ideas for using this Thanksgiving word scramble:
- Run a classroom race to see which team completes it first
- Use it at a family gathering with small prizes for the winners
- Pair it with a short writing activity: “Use three of the scrambled words in your own sentence.”
Puzzle-style activities like word scrambles and word searches are often used by teachers as a fun way to revisit vocabulary, spelling and pattern recognition, especially when they sit alongside richer reading and writing tasks.ResearchGate+2PubMed Central+2
Place your preview image and “Download Thanksgiving Word Scramble (PDF)” button here.
How to Use These Thanksgiving Word Searches and Scrambles
In the Classroom
These Thanksgiving word puzzles make great no-prep printables for busy teachers. You can use them as:
- Bell-ringer activities before class starts
- Literacy centers during a Thanksgiving or autumn unit
- Quiet work for early finishers
- Sub-plan activities that are easy to explain and mark
If you’re teaching English language learners or younger readers, keep the easy word search handy, and save the large-print puzzle or scrambles for more confident readers.
At Home or Thanksgiving Dinner
Print a stack of word searches and scrambles and keep them near the kids’ table or snack area:
- Set one puzzle at each place setting with crayons or markers
- Let kids color around the edges after they finish
- Host a mini tournament after dessert: first to finish the word search or unscramble all the words wins a small prize
You can also use the large-print Thanksgiving word search as a calming, screen-free activity for adults and seniors while everyone waits for the meal.
Homeschool, Clubs, and Church Groups
For homeschool families and clubs, these printables work well when you:
- Pair them with a short reading about Thanksgiving history and traditions
- Ask learners to use three or four found words in a sentence or mini-story
- Use them as a gentle way to review Thanksgiving vocabulary before moving on to writing or discussion
Education blogs and teaching communities often recommend mixing puzzles like these with deeper literacy tasks so that kids see the words in real context as well as in a puzzle grid.
Skills Kids Practice with Thanksgiving Word Puzzles
Thanksgiving word searches and scrambles are more than just busy work when you use them intentionally.
Vocabulary and Spelling
Finding or unscrambling words like “gratitude,” “harvest,” and “cornucopia” gives kids another chance to see and remember new vocabulary. Repeated exposure to written words, even in a puzzle, can support vocabulary growth and spelling accuracy when it’s combined with reading, conversation, and writing.ResearchGate+2lillegendsbyoswaalbooks+2
Word Recognition and Pattern Awareness
Scanning the grid for letter patterns helps children:
- Recognize common letter pairs (th, ing, ly, etc.)
- Notice how familiar words are built
- Strengthen left-to-right tracking across a line of text
These are useful pre-reading and reading fluency skills.
Focus and Problem-Solving
Word searches and scrambles encourage learners to:
- Stay focused on a small, manageable task
- Use logical thinking to match letters to words
- Experience a sense of achievement when they complete the puzzle
That combination of challenge and success is one reason many teachers keep seasonal word puzzles in their toolkit.
Printing Tips and Usage Guidelines
To get the best results with your Thanksgiving word printables:
- Print on US Letter or A4 paper
- Select “Actual size” or 100% scale so the letters stay clear
- Use ordinary printer paper for one-time use, or heavier paper if you want to laminate and reuse
- Slip each sheet into a clear pocket and use dry-erase markers for classroom centers
Usage terms (you can tweak these to match your site policy):
- Free for personal use, classroom use, homeschool and church groups
- Please share the link to this page instead of uploading the PDF files to your own website or social media
- Files may not be sold, bundled or redistributed as your own product
More Free Fall and Holiday Printables
If your kids love these Thanksgiving word searches and scrambles, they’ll enjoy more seasonal printables from Affectiontag.
- Plan your month with a cute nature-themed calendar like our 2025 Pond Calendar or the minimalist 2025 Aesthetic Calendar.
- Get organized for the holiday season using our Budget Planner 2025, or stay on track week by week with the Weekly Planner.
- Looking ahead to winter? Kids can move on to Christmas-themed activities with our Christmas Animal Coloring Pages and Christmas Elf Coloring Pages.
- For even more ideas, browse the latest free printables on the Affectiontag blog.
These internal links help visitors discover more of your resources and also strengthen your site’s topical authority around printables and seasonal activities.
Is there a free printable Thanksgiving word search I can download?
Yes. This page includes two free printable Thanksgiving word search PDFs: an easy word search for small kids and a large-print word search for older children, teens, adults, and seniors. Just choose the version you like and click the download button underneath the preview.
What ages are these Thanksgiving word puzzles best for?
As a guide:
Easy Thanksgiving word search: kindergarten to early elementary
Large-print Thanksgiving word search: upper elementary, teens, adults, seniors
Autumn word scramble: elementary ages who can already read simple words
Thanksgiving word scramble: older elementary and up
You know your learners best, so feel free to mix and match.
Can I use these Thanksgiving printables in my classroom or homeschool?
Yes. You’re welcome to print and use these worksheets for personal, classroom, homeschool, and church group use. Please do not upload the PDF files to your own website, share them in paid bundles, or sell them.
Do the Thanksgiving word search and word scramble have answer keys?
If you include answer keys, you can say:
Yes. Each puzzle has a matching answer key so you can quickly check student work or run timed games.
If you choose not to include answer keys, you can say:
Right now these puzzles don’t have separate answer keys, but the full word list is printed on each page so you can check answers quickly.
How do I print the Thanksgiving word search and word scramble PDFs?
Download the file to your device, open it in any PDF reader, and print on US Letter or A4 paper at “Actual size.” For classroom use, you can laminate the sheets or pop them into plastic sleeves and use dry-erase markers to reuse them year after year.
Can I use these puzzles as Thanksgiving placemats or party games?
Definitely. Many families like to place a word search or word scramble at each setting around the Thanksgiving table. Add crayons or markers and let guests color and complete the puzzles while they wait for the meal. You can turn them into party games by timing who finishes first or who finds the most words.
Are these Thanksgiving word searches and scrambles editable?
These are ready-to-print PDF worksheets and aren’t editable. If you need to adapt them, you can print and write additional instructions or bonus words by hand, or use them as inspiration to create your own custom puzzles.
