Basketball Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Basketball Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this basketball puzzle set for my 2nd and 3rd graders during our sports unit. The kids loved to shoot hoops but had no idea what words like dribble, rebound, or foul meant. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like basketball, hoop, ball, court, dribble, pass, shoot, rebound, defense, offense, foul, free throw, three pointer, slam dunk, team, players, referee, whistle, and game. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the basketball 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. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether a slam dunk counts for two or three points. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple basketball, hoop, and sneaker drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 2nd through 4th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers name one basketball rule on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.