Landforms Vocabulary word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this landforms puzzle set for my 2nd and 3rd graders during our geography unit. The kids could point to a hill or a river but got lost when I threw in words like plateau, canyon, or delta. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like mountain, hill, valley, canyon, plateau, plain, desert, island, peninsula, coast, delta, river, lake, ocean, volcano, and cave. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the vocabulary 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 over the difference between a peninsula and an island. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple mountain and river drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 1st through 4th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick three landforms and draw a tiny landscape on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.

For a change from the puzzles, try a geography crossword and discuss the clues together.