The Vikings word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

The Vikings word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this Vikings puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our world history unit. The kids had heard of Vikings and thought they all wore horned helmets and raided constantly, but had no idea they were also explorers and traders. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like Viking, Norse, Scandinavia, longship, raid, trade, explore, settle, Leif Erikson, Vinland, North America, helmet, shield, axe, and saga. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the real facts 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 Vikings really wore horned helmets. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple ship and shield drawings but nothing too busy.

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