Festivals Around the World word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Festivals Around the World word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this festivals around the world vocabulary puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our global celebrations unit. The kids knew about Christmas and Halloween but had no idea what words like Diwali, Carnival, or Holi meant when we explored festivals from different cultures. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like Diwali, Carnival, Holi, Lunar New Year, Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras, Day of the Dead, Eid, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Songkran. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the festival 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 independent practice. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether Diwali is the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Colors (Diwali is lights, Holi is colors — they always mix them up). The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've looked at pictures of celebrations. I added a couple simple diya, lantern, and skull drawings but nothing too busy.

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