Decimals Vocabulary Word Search, Scramble and Crossword Puzzle

I made this decimals vocabulary puzzle set for my Grade 4 students during our math unit. The kids could read whole numbers but had no idea what a decimal point was or what tenths and hundredths meant. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like decimal, decimal point, tenths, hundredths, thousandths, place value, fraction, equivalent, compare, greater than, less than, whole number, part, money, and base ten. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the decimal terms finally stick.

The set is six pages. Three puzzles, each with its own answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether 0.5 and 0.50 are the same. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple decimal grids and money drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for Grades 4–5. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write 0.35 in words as "thirty-five hundredths" on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.