The Pilgrims and Thanksgiving word search, scramble and crossword puzz

The Pilgrims and Thanksgiving word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Pilgrims and Thanksgiving puzzle set for my 2nd and 3rd graders during our fall social studies unit. The kids knew Thanksgiving meant turkey and family but had no idea who the Pilgrims were or why we celebrate. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like Pilgrim, Mayflower, Plymouth, Wampanoag, harvest, feast, turkey, corn, squash, grateful, November, ship, ocean, colony, and Squanto. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the real story finally 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 about whether the Pilgrims ate turkey at the first feast. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple ship and cornucopia drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 1st through 4th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers name one thing the Wampanoag taught the Pilgrims on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.