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
- Free Plan
Soil Vocabulary Word Search
Immerse your students in the subject-specific vocabulary related to soil with this word search perfect for elementary students.
- Plus Plan
Homophones Word Searches
Immerse your students in common homophones with this differentiated set of homophones word searches for your vocabulary lessons.
- Free Plan
The Constitution for Kids - Bill of Rights Word Search
Find and discuss words related to Constitution Day with a printable Bill of Rights word search.
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Plant Adaptation Puzzles - Matching Activity
Match plants with their unique adaptations using a printable puzzle-matching activity.
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Counting by 1s Picture Puzzles
Use this fun sorting activity for your students to practice ordering numbers in sequential order starting at a number other than 1.
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Animal Adaptations Word Search
Develop science vocabulary skills with a printable animal adaptations word search.
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Re- Prefix Crossword Puzzle
Review vocabulary skills and boost your students’ knowledge of the “Re-” prefix with a crossword puzzle worksheet.
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Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition – Word Search
Strengthen your students' understanding of weathering, erosion, and deposition terms with a vocabulary word search.
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Types of Weather – Word Search
Review science vocabulary terms with an engaging weather word search.
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Synonyms - Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle
Boost vocabulary skills with a fun synonym crossword puzzle.
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Natural Resources Word Search
Review the different natural resources with a word search.
- Free Plan
Earth Day Word Search - Printable
Identify environmental terms with this Earth Day word search.
- Free Plan
The War of 1812 - Word Search
Build academic vocabulary skills with a War of 1812 word search.
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Long I Words - Word Search
Explore words containing some of the most common “long i” spelling patterns with this set of differentiated word searches.
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Football Tarsia Puzzle - 2 Digit Addition
Print and assemble a football-themed tarsia puzzle to use when practicing two-digit addition skills.
- Free Plan
Energy and Electricity Crossword Puzzle
Reinforce science vocabulary with an energy and electricity crossword puzzle.
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Equivalent Ratios – Math Mazes
Practice how to find equivalent ratios with this set of math mazes.
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Decimal Patterns – Math Mazes
Find your way through this set of math mazes by determining the addition or subtraction pattern in a sequence of decimal numbers.
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Converting Units of Length - Math Mazes
Strengthen measurement conversion skills while converting units of length with this set of math mazes.
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Rounding Numbers – Math Mazes
Round numbers to various places while finding your way through this set of 5 math mazes.
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Consonant Digraph Word Puzzles
Familiarize your students with a variety of consonant digraphs with these hands-on word puzzles.
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Memorial Day Word Search - Primary
Build vocabulary skills with this Memorial Day word search for primary grades.
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Westward Expansion Word Search
Increase academic vocabulary with a Westward Expansion word search.
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Math Mazes (Place Value)
Determine the correct paths through each maze using knowledge of place value.
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Perimeter and Area Digital Puzzles
Give students practice finding the area and perimeter of squares and rectangles with these digital area and perimeter puzzles.
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Mini-Mystery – Who Won the Race?
A fun, logic-based activity where students read clues to solve a mystery.
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2-D Shape Match-up Puzzles
A set of puzzles that match up 2-D shapes and their properties.
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Mini-Mystery – What Is the Shoe's Name?
A fun, logic-based activity where students read clues to solve the mystery.
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Mini-Mystery – Who Drank the Teacher's Coffee?
A fun, logic-based activity where students read clues to solve the mystery.
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Complex Dot-to-dot – Skip Counting by Fives (Turtle) – Worksheet
A complex dot-to-dot where students demonstrate skip counting by fives.
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Mini-Mystery – Who Scared the Black Cat?
A logic-based Halloween-themed puzzle where students solve a mystery by reading clues.
- Plus Plan
Where Do I Sit? – Logic Puzzle – Level 2
A worksheet for students to identify where people are sitting in a video chat.