Food from Around the World word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Food from Around the World word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this food from around the world vocabulary puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our global studies unit. The kids loved trying new foods and always asked where their favorite dishes came from, but they had no idea what words like sushi, curry, or paella meant when we talked about food from different cultures. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like sushi, curry, paella, tacos, pizza, pasta, dumplings, falafel, hummus, kimchi, baguette, croissant, nachos, barbecue, and dessert. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the global food 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 which country invented pizza (Italy) or whether tacos are from Mexico or the US. The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've looked at pictures of food from different cultures. I added a couple simple pizza, taco, and sushi drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one food from the puzzles and write its country of origin on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.