Solar System Planets word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

Solar System Planets word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this solar system planets puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our space unit. The kids could name most planets but kept forgetting the order and which ones were gas giants versus rocky planets. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, orbit, asteroid belt, dwarf planet, gas giant, terrestrial, and sun. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the names and facts 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 how to spell "Mercury" or whether Pluto counts. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple planet circle drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 2nd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers list the planets in order from the sun on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.