Transition Words word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this transition words puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our writing unit. The kids could write good sentences but their paragraphs felt choppy because they didn't know how to move from one idea to the next. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using transition words like first, next, then, finally, meanwhile, later, after, before, soon, suddenly, therefore, however, for example, in conclusion, and on the other hand. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the paragraph flow finally improve.

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 "suddenly" works for nonfiction writing. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple arrow and bridge drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers write three sentences about their morning using three different transition words on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.