Making a Budget word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Making a Budget word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this making a budget puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our economics unit. The kids could spend money but had no idea what words like budget, income, or saving meant when we talked about managing money. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like budget, income, spending, saving, goal, balance, needs, wants, and plan. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the budget 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 saving money is always important. The crossword I use for partners or as a review. I added a couple simple piggy bank and coin drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write one saving goal they have on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.