First Grade Word Search Games

Word searches are irresistibly fun. You can find them almost anywhere, for any theme, at any challenge level. But did you know that they have numerous intellectual benefits? Like any puzzle, they are a great way to keep your brain active and develop problem solving skills.

They're the perfect boredom buster for long waits for car rides, especially because they provide a cognitive challenge, instead of another round of endless scrolling through social media.

For kids, they are a great tool in language acquisition. They offer a chance to practice spelling: children have to pay close attention to every letter in the word to ensure they're circling the correct one. Themed words to find can include new vocabulary words. For example, if the search focuses on occupations, students might learn about unfamiliar jobs such as a radiologist, butcher, or florist.

Word searches also help children increase their working memory and their brain processing speeds. Turtle Diary offers an incredible array of easy word search puzzles, all online and all completely free. Kids can play on any device that has an internet connection.

You can even make your own free printable word search puzzle! Are you taking a family vacation to the mountains and preparing for a long road trip? Create your own that includes related words such as 'ranger' and 'peak.' You'll have another fun activity for the drive and a chance to introduce unfamiliar vocabulary your kids might hear on the trip.

It's easy to print the worksheet out so your kids can still work on it if you lose cell service along the way. Use any of the Turtle Diary word searches to improve your child's cognitive functions and language skills. Best of all, use them to make learning a little more fun and engaging!