World Art Traditions word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

World Art Traditions word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this world art traditions vocabulary puzzle set for my 3rd and 4th graders during our global art unit. The kids loved making art but had no idea what words like batik, mosaic, or origami meant when we explored art from different cultures around the world. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like mosaic, batik, origami, block printing, adinkra, mandala, totem, pottery, weaving, and sculpture. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the global art 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 independent practice. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether batik is from Indonesia or Africa (it’s from Indonesia, but many African cultures also use wax-resist dyeing techniques). The crossword I use for partners or as a review after we've looked at images of art from around the world. I added a couple simple mask, mandala, and weaving drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 3rd through 5th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers pick one art tradition from the puzzles and draw a small example on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.