Basic Spanish Animals word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Basic Spanish Animals word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this basic Spanish animals puzzle set for my 1st and 2nd graders during our Spanish unit. The kids could name animals in English but had no idea what words like perro, gato, or pájaro meant when we started learning Spanish animal names. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like perro, gato, pájaro, pez, caballo, vaca, cerdo, oveja, gallina, pato, conejo, ratón, tortuga, and serpiente. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the Spanish animal vocabulary finally stick.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess or indoor recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether "pájaro" is any bird or a specific type. The crossword I use for partners or as a review. I added a couple simple dog, cat, and bird drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for K through 3rd grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers draw their favorite animal and label it in Spanish on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.