Christmas Word Search for Kids

This Christmas word search hides 12 holiday words in a 12x12 letter grid. Copy the grid onto graph paper, circle each hidden word with a crayon, and check your answers against the key below. It works for a quiet afternoon at the kitchen table or a classroom party game with no prep beyond paper and a pencil.

What Words Are Hiding in the Grid?

Twelve Christmas words are tucked into the grid below. Words run left to right, top to bottom, and on a slant down and to the right. Copy this list onto your paper so you can check words off as you find them.

TREE, STAR, SANTA, GIFTS, CANDY, SNOWMAN, REINDEER, BELLS, WREATH, COOKIE, LIGHTS, ANGEL

What Do You Need to Make It?

• Graph paper (or blank paper plus a ruler to draw the 12 rows and 12 columns of grid boxes)
• A pencil (not a pen, so little kids can erase)
• An eraser
• Crayons for circling found words
• The 12-word list, copied from this post onto your paper
• The 12x12 letter grid, copied from this post onto your paper

How Do You Draw the Grid?

1. Draw a 12x12 grid on your graph paper. On blank paper, use the ruler to draw 12 rows and 12 columns of even boxes.
2. Copy one row of letters from the grid below into each row of your grid. Take it one row at a time so no letters get skipped.
3. Copy the 12-word list onto the same paper, leaving room to check each word off.
4. Hand the pencil to your kid and let the hunt begin.

Can You Copy the Puzzle Grid Here?

B C C T L C O O K I E L
F X Z R V C A N D Y R I
J A I E T G T B S V E G
F N N E U M Z X Q L I H
W R O G Q I B A L S N T
R O G K E M N Q F N D S
E S I R F L S H H O E A
A T F F B K A F E W E Q
T A T Q E L N Q V M R R
H R S F L O T Z N A X Q
Y L Z S L L A L O N F Y
M W X O S U Q H P I P Q

How Do Kids Hunt the Words?

Point your kid at the first word on the word list and let them scan the grid for its first letter. When they spot the whole word, they circle it with a crayon and check it off the word list with the pencil. Words hide left to right, top to bottom, and on a slant. Short words like STAR and TREE are good ones to find first. For a second round, try our Thanksgiving word search or the autumn word search to build up to the diagonal ones.

Where Is the Answer Key?

• TREE: row 1, column 4, down
• STAR: row 7, column 2, down
• SANTA: row 7, column 7, down
• GIFTS: row 6, column 3, down
• CANDY: row 2, column 6, left to right
• SNOWMAN: row 5, column 10, down
• REINDEER: row 2, column 11, down
• BELLS: row 8, column 5, down
• WREATH: row 5, column 1, down
• COOKIE: row 1, column 6, left to right
• LIGHTS: row 1, column 12, down
• ANGEL: row 3, column 2, slants down and to the right

Rows count from the top and columns count from the left.

What If Something Goes Wrong?

• Lost your place: check off each word on the word list with the pencil the moment you circle it, so the unchecked words are the only ones left to find.
• Grid too hard for little kids: let them hunt just the short words first (TREE, STAR, BELLS) and celebrate each one.
• Diagonal words too tricky: start with horizontal words only, then add vertical words, and save the slanted word for last.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this word search good for?

Kids around 6 and up can usually work the full grid on their own, and younger kids can hunt while someone reads the word list aloud. Preschoolers love finding just the short words like TREE and STAR while older kids tackle the long ones like REINDEER and SNOWMAN. The puzzle scales to the kid because you choose how many words are on their list.

How messy is this activity?

It is about as clean as an activity gets. A pencil, an eraser, and crayons on paper make almost no mess. Crayon circling stays on the grid, and there is nothing to glue, cut, or wash up. Sharpen the pencil before you start so the grid letters stay easy to read.

How long does the word search take?

Copying the grid takes about 10 minutes, and hunting all 12 words takes most kids 20 to 30 minutes. Little kids hunting only the short words finish in about 10 minutes. If attention runs out, stop and come back later because the paper keeps your place.

Is this word search safe for little kids?

Yes. Pencils, not pens, because little kids can erase and try again, and crayons are safe for all ages. There are no sharp tools, no small parts, and no real hazards in this activity. Just remind kids that pencils are for paper.

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Be safe and have fun!