Art Movements word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Art Movements word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this art movements puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our art history unit. The kids could name a few famous paintings but had no idea what words like Impressionism, Cubism, or Surrealism meant when I tried to explain different styles of art. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Surrealism, Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Fauvism, Art Nouveau, Dada, Minimalism, and Gothic. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the movement names finally stick.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after art class or indoor recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether Surrealism means the art has to look like a dream or just be weird. The crossword I use for partners or as a review before a quiz. I added a couple simple paint palette and star drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one art movement and write one fact about it on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.