Puzzles for Teachers
Browse an extensive collection of printable puzzles, brain teasers, mazes, crosswords, digital activities and a whole lot more to challenge your elementary students in fresh and fun ways!
This teaching resource collection is teacher-created, with curriculum-aligned and editable resources available for both lesson planning and adding to your fast finisher activity box or sub binder!
Curious about using puzzles in your classroom or looking for fresh ideas? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
Types of Puzzles
There's a whole host of puzzles out there you can use to get your students more engaged in learning, develop problem-solving skills, and reinforce the concepts you're teaching! Here are a few favorites from our teacher team (and you'll find printable versions of many of these in this collection)!
- Picture puzzles — Picture puzzles are a great teaching tool that require kids to use visual perception and problem-solving skills to identify patterns or differences in a set of pictures.
- Crossword puzzles — Often used by adults, these puzzles are kid-friendly too! They offer up written clues and require students to fill in a grid with words that intersect with each other.
- Tangram puzzles — These challenging puzzles for kids involve using a set of geometric shapes to create a larger picture or design.
- Logic puzzles — This learning tool requires kids to use reasoning and deduction to solve a problem. They usually involve a set of clues that need to be used to figure out the solution.
- Word searches — In this type of puzzle, a grid of letters is given with a list of words to find hidden within it. Students are challenged to go on the hunt for the word, often reading up, down, diagonally, and sometimes even backward!
- Spot the difference — A popular feature in kids' magazines, these require our students to find the differences between two nearly identical pictures.
- Sequence puzzles — Sequence puzzles involve arranging a series of objects or symbols in a particular order, based on a set of rules or patterns. For example, students may practice skip counting as they place puzzle pieces in order based on the numbers displayed on each piece.
- Maze puzzles — Yes, mazes count as puzzles! They challenge kids to find their way through a maze to reach a goal or endpoint.
- Matching games — This is another type of puzzle you may not think of as a puzzle per se, but it is! Matching games involve finding pairs of matching items, such as shapes, colors, or numbers, in a set of cards or objects.
- Tarsia puzzles — Similar to jigsaw puzzles, tarsia puzzles are made up of irregularly shaped pieces that fit together in a specific way to form a larger picture or pattern. This type of puzzle has a twist, however! In a Tarsia puzzle, each piece contains a problem or question related to a particular topic or subject area. The students must match the pieces together by finding the correct answer or solution to each problem or question. Once all the pieces have been matched, they form a larger picture or pattern that provides a visual representation of the topic or concept being studied.
How Do You Use Puzzles in the Classroom?
Whether you're using mazes to teach math or crossword puzzles in your reading centers, this is a versatile learning tool! Here are a few of the times they can come in handy:
- Introducing new concepts
- Reviewing concepts students have learned
- Reinforcing problem-solving skills
- Collaborative learning
- Learning through play
- Differentiated instruction
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Olympics Word Search – Upper Grades
An Olympic-themed word search.
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Dot-to-Dot Drawing - Counting by 1 - Elephant
A dot-to-dot worksheet to practice counting to 100.
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Material World Jigsaws
Six mini jigsaw puzzles focusing on the materials objects are made of.
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Animal Classification Word Search Pack - Lower Grades
Introduce your students to the six animal types/classes with a pack of printable animal word search worksheets.
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Animal Classes Word Search Pack - Upper Grades
Review vocabulary related to animal classes and characteristics of animals with a pack of printable animal classification word searches.
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Animal Adaptations Crossword Puzzle
Use an Animal Adaptations Crossword puzzle to review concepts related to physiological, structural, and behavioral adaptations.
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Area Model Multiplication Small Group Activity
Review multiplication using the area model with this small group activity.
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Addition to 20 Activity - Winter Math Puzzle for 1st Grade
Practice addition facts up to 20 with a printable winter math puzzle for kindergarten and first-grade students.
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Place Value Worksheets for 2nd Grade - Thanksgiving Math Mazes
Save the turkey and match numbers, words, and expanded forms of numbers with a fun set of printable 2nd-grade Thanksgiving Math maze worksheets.
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Find the Missing Side Interactive Puzzle
Explore perimeter with missing sides with your students using this interactive digital puzzle.
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Thanksgiving Puzzle Book - 3rd and 4th Grade
Have a blast completing the fun activities in this printable Thanksgiving puzzle book for 3rd grade and 4th graders.
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The Day of the Dead Word Search
Introduce vocabulary surrounding the Mexican holiday known as “The Day of the Dead” with a printable word search.
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Constitution Day Word Search
Find, discuss, and learn words related to Constitution Day with a printable Constitution Day Word Search.
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Soil Vocabulary Word Search
Immerse your students in the subject-specific vocabulary related to soil with this word search perfect for elementary students.
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Homophones Word Searches
Immerse your students in common homophones with this differentiated set of homophones word searches for your vocabulary lessons.
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Halloween Adjectives Word Search - Lower Grades
Bring in the Halloween spirit this year, starting with a printable Halloween word search filled with spooky adjectives!
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Dot Day Division Tarsia Puzzle
Practice dividing two-digit by one-digit numbers with a Dot Day tarsia puzzle.
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Dot Day Multiplication Tarsia Puzzle
Practice multiplying single-digit numbers and create a masterpiece with a Dot Day tarsia puzzle.
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Homophones Tarsia Puzzle
Challenge your students to identify and match pairs of homophones with this differentiated Tarsia puzzle, perfect for your primary school vocabulary lessons.
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Prefix Crossword Puzzle
Review vocabulary skills and boost your students’ knowledge of prefixes with a printable crossword puzzle for kids
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Homophones Crossword Puzzle
Challenge your students to complete this vocabulary crossword puzzle by completing the sentences with the correct homophone.
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Kindness Word Search
Download a printable word search about kindness for elementary school to explore this important aspect of social awareness with your students.
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Subtraction Tarsia Worksheets- Math Puzzles
Print a set of 7 Tarsia puzzles to practice solving single-to-multi-digit subtraction problems.
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Cooperation Word Search
Review vocabulary and boost your students’ cooperative interaction skills with a word search worksheet.
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Earth, Sun, and Moon – Vocabulary Cards and Puzzles
Reinforce science vocabulary with this set of word wall cards and vocabulary puzzles covering the Earth, sun, and moon.
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Types of Weather – Word Search
Review science vocabulary terms with an engaging weather word search.
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Adding and Subtracting Integers - Codebreaker Worksheets
Crack the positive and negative number code with four adding and subtracting integers worksheets.
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Fractions and Decimals Number Line Puzzles
Practice identifying fractions and decimals on a number line with this set of 2- and 3-piece puzzles.
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Synonym and Antonym Crossword Puzzle
Review vocabulary skills and boost your students’ knowledge of synonyms and antonyms with a crossword puzzle worksheet.
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Renewable Energy Word Search
Review science vocabulary terms with an engaging renewable energy word search.
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April Fool’s Day Jokes - Codebreaker Worksheets
Have some fun decoding silly April Fools' Day Jokes with a pack of codebreaker worksheets!
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Antonyms Tarsia Puzzle
Match antonym pairs with an engaging opposite words tarsia puzzle.