Bridges and Structures word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this bridges and structures puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our STEM unit. The kids could see bridges but had no idea what words like beam, arch, or suspension meant when we talked about how bridges stay up. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like beam, arch, suspension, truss, pillar, support, weight, span, cross, and build. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the bridge 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 an arch bridge is stronger than a beam bridge. The crossword I use for partners or as a review. I added a couple simple arch, beam, and suspension bridge drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers draw a bridge design on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.