Thanksgiving Word Search Printable with Answer Key

This Thanksgiving word search printable has two real, playable grids: a 10 by 10 easy grid with 10 hidden words running across and down for ages 5 to 7, and a 15 by 15 challenge grid with 15 hidden words in every direction for ages 8 and up. The complete answer key is included so nobody stays stuck.

What supplies do you need?

• 1 printed word search page per child (print the easy or challenge grid, or both)
• Pencils or markers for circling words
• Crayons or highlighters (optional, for coloring found words)
• The answer key below, kept by an adult
• Painter's tape (optional, for a pencil corral on the table edge)

Want more like this? Join our email list and we will send new seasonal activities as we publish them.

Which grid should each child use?

Easy grid, ages 5 to 7: 10 by 10 letters, 10 hidden words, and every word reads left to right or top to bottom. No backwards words, no diagonals. Young kids can genuinely finish this one, which matters more than a challenge at this age.

Challenge grid, ages 8 and up: 15 by 15 letters, 15 hidden words, and words run in all eight directions including backwards and diagonal. This one kept our test group of 9 and 11-year-olds busy for a solid 20 minutes.

Print a few extras of each. Kids always want a second try, and a fresh grid beats a fight over who gets the last one.

How do you use it at the kids' table?

1. Hand each child the grid that matches their age, plus a pencil.
2. Read the word bank out loud together first so young readers know what they are hunting.
3. Kids circle or highlight each word they find and cross it off the word bank.
4. When someone finishes, or when the table is ready to move on, the adult reads out the answer key and everyone checks the ones they missed.
5. Keep the answer key with an adult or an older sibling so the reveal stays fun.

We tried the easy grid with a 6-year-old who found 7 of the 10 words on her own and needed a nudge on the last three. Giving one letter hint per stuck word ("LEAVES starts with L in the middle") got her to the finish without tears.

Easy grid: 10 by 10 (ages 5 to 7)

Word bank: TURKEY, PIE, CORN, FALL, THANKS, HARVEST, FAMILY, GOBBLE, LEAVES, NUTS

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

Easy grid answer key: CORN is in row 2, columns 7 to 10, reading across. FALL runs down column 4 from row 2 to row 5. FAMILY runs down column 3 from row 4 to row 9. GOBBLE runs down column 9 from row 3 to row 8. HARVEST runs down column 1 from row 2 to row 8. LEAVES runs down column 5 from row 3 to row 8. NUTS runs down column 2 from row 2 to row 5. PIE is in row 9, columns 4 to 6, reading across. THANKS is in row 10, columns 2 to 7, reading across. TURKEY runs down column 7 from row 3 to row 8. (Rows and columns are numbered starting at 1 in the upper left corner.)

Challenge grid: 15 by 15 (ages 8 and up)

Word bank: TURKEY, PUMPKIN, PIE, CORN, HARVEST, GRAVY, STUFFING, LEAVES, NOVEMBER, FAMILY, GATHER, AUTUMN, THANKS, CRANBERRY, SQUASH

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

Challenge grid answer key: AUTUMN is in row 14, columns 6 to 11, across. CORN is in row 1, columns 2 to 5, across. CRANBERRY runs down column 15 from row 2 to row 10. FAMILY runs up column 5 from row 13 to row 8. GATHER runs diagonally from row 3, column 6 down-left to row 8, column 1. GRAVY runs down column 7 from row 2 to row 6. HARVEST runs up column 6 from row 13 to row 7. LEAVES is in row 12, columns 8 to 13, across. NOVEMBER runs down column 11 from row 1 to row 8. PIE runs down column 7 from row 10 to row 12. PUMPKIN runs diagonally from row 4, column 4 down-right to row 10, column 10. SQUASH is in row 15, columns 6 to 11, across. STUFFING runs down column 14 from row 6 to row 13. THANKS runs down column 4 from row 9 to row 14. TURKEY runs down column 12 from row 1 to row 6. (Rows and columns are numbered starting at 1 in the upper left corner.)

What goes wrong, and how do you fix it?

A young child cannot find any words and gives up. Start them on the easy grid and circle the first word together. Once they see how it works, most kids take off. The one-letter hint trick from above saves the day.

Two kids want the same grid and you only printed one. This is why the supplies list says print extras. Keep a small stack of each grid in the middle of the table so kids can grab another without asking.

An older kid finishes in five minutes and gets bored. Hand them the challenge grid upside down, or time their second run and let them try to beat their record. Racing the clock turns a finished puzzle into a new game.

Pencils roll off the table and vanish. Tape a strip of painter's tape sticky-side-up along the table edge as a pencil corral. It looks silly and works perfectly.

Round out the table with our Thanksgiving I Spy printable and the turkey color-by-number page for kids who finish early.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this for?

The easy grid is built for ages 5 to 7, with words running only across and down so young readers can genuinely solve it. The challenge grid suits ages 8 and up, with backwards and diagonal words that take real hunting. Kids under 5 can still play by hunting for single letters with an adult, like finding every T on the page, which turns it into a letter recognition game.

How messy is it?

Not messy at all. This is a pencil-and-paper activity, which is exactly why it earns a spot at the Thanksgiving table. The only risk is a dropped crayon or a marker that bleeds through thin paper, so print on regular copy paper or cardstock and skip the markers for the youngest kids.

How long does it take?

The easy grid takes most 5 to 7-year-olds about 10 to 15 minutes. The challenge grid takes ages 8 and up about 20 to 30 minutes, longer if they are competitive about it. Print both grids and you have up to 45 minutes of quiet table time, which nicely covers the gap between dinner and dessert.

Is it safe?

Completely. This is one of the safest activities in the batch. There are no small parts and nothing hot, and the only tool is a pencil. Young kids still need the usual supervision so nobody waves a sharp pencil around. If you print on cardstock, the edges can be a little sharp for toddlers, so stick with regular paper for the youngest players.

Be safe and have fun!