Spanish Holidays and Celebrations word search, scramble and crossword

Spanish Holidays and Celebrations word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Spanish holidays and celebrations puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our Spanish and cultural unit. The kids could name holidays in English but had no idea what words like Navidad, Año Nuevo, or Cinco de Mayo meant when we started learning about Spanish-speaking celebrations. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like Navidad, Año Nuevo, Cinco de Mayo, Día de los Muertos, Semana Santa, fiesta, celebración, desfile, fuegos artificiales, and tradición. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the holiday 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 Día de los Muertos is sad or joyful. The crossword I use for partners or as a review. I added a couple simple piñata, candle, and flag drawings but nothing too busy.

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