Puzzles for Teachers
Browse an extensive collection of printable puzzles, brain teasers, mazes, crosswords, digital activities and a whole lot more to challenge your elementary students in fresh and fun ways!
This teaching resource collection is teacher-created, with curriculum-aligned and editable resources available for both lesson planning and adding to your fast finisher activity box or sub binder!
Curious about using puzzles in your classroom or looking for fresh ideas? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
Types of Puzzles
There's a whole host of puzzles out there you can use to get your students more engaged in learning, develop problem-solving skills, and reinforce the concepts you're teaching! Here are a few favorites from our teacher team (and you'll find printable versions of many of these in this collection)!
- Picture puzzles — Picture puzzles are a great teaching tool that require kids to use visual perception and problem-solving skills to identify patterns or differences in a set of pictures.
- Crossword puzzles — Often used by adults, these puzzles are kid-friendly too! They offer up written clues and require students to fill in a grid with words that intersect with each other.
- Tangram puzzles — These challenging puzzles for kids involve using a set of geometric shapes to create a larger picture or design.
- Logic puzzles — This learning tool requires kids to use reasoning and deduction to solve a problem. They usually involve a set of clues that need to be used to figure out the solution.
- Word searches — In this type of puzzle, a grid of letters is given with a list of words to find hidden within it. Students are challenged to go on the hunt for the word, often reading up, down, diagonally, and sometimes even backward!
- Spot the difference — A popular feature in kids' magazines, these require our students to find the differences between two nearly identical pictures.
- Sequence puzzles — Sequence puzzles involve arranging a series of objects or symbols in a particular order, based on a set of rules or patterns. For example, students may practice skip counting as they place puzzle pieces in order based on the numbers displayed on each piece.
- Maze puzzles — Yes, mazes count as puzzles! They challenge kids to find their way through a maze to reach a goal or endpoint.
- Matching games — This is another type of puzzle you may not think of as a puzzle per se, but it is! Matching games involve finding pairs of matching items, such as shapes, colors, or numbers, in a set of cards or objects.
- Tarsia puzzles — Similar to jigsaw puzzles, tarsia puzzles are made up of irregularly shaped pieces that fit together in a specific way to form a larger picture or pattern. This type of puzzle has a twist, however! In a Tarsia puzzle, each piece contains a problem or question related to a particular topic or subject area. The students must match the pieces together by finding the correct answer or solution to each problem or question. Once all the pieces have been matched, they form a larger picture or pattern that provides a visual representation of the topic or concept being studied.
How Do You Use Puzzles in the Classroom?
Whether you're using mazes to teach math or crossword puzzles in your reading centers, this is a versatile learning tool! Here are a few of the times they can come in handy:
- Introducing new concepts
- Reviewing concepts students have learned
- Reinforcing problem-solving skills
- Collaborative learning
- Learning through play
- Differentiated instruction
- Free Plan
Easter Mini-Mystery – Who Stole the Easter Egg?
A fun, logic-based Easter-themed activity where students read clues to solve the mystery.
- Free Plan
Easter Word Search Activity
Boost reading and spelling skills with an Easter word search.
- Plus Plan
Easter Dot-to-Dot Printables
Practice counting in 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s with these Easter-themed dot-to-dot printables.
- Free Plan
April Fool’s Day Jokes - Codebreaker Worksheets
Have some fun decoding silly April Fools' Day Jokes with a pack of codebreaker worksheets!
- Free Plan
Math Mazes - Two-digit Addition
Practice adding two-digit numbers with this set of differentiated math mazes.
- Free Plan
Women's History Month - Word Search
Boost reading and spelling skills with our women's history month word search.
- Free Plan
Empathy Word Search
Introduce or review vocabulary terms related to empathy with this free word search worksheet.
- Free Plan
Basketball Word Search - Printable
Get ready for the big game with a fun basketball word search.
- Free Plan
Mini-Mystery – Which Key Opens the Door?
Use knowledge of 2-D shapes and right angles to solve the mystery in this fun, logic-based activity.
- Free Plan
Math Mazes (Equivalent Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages)
Determine equivalent fractions, decimals, and percentages with this puzzling math maze.
- Free Plan
The Constitution for Kids - Bill of Rights Word Search
Find and discuss words related to Constitution Day with a printable Bill of Rights word search.
- Free Plan
Free St. Patrick's Day Word Search Activity
Print a free St. Patrick's Day word search for some holiday word-find fun!
- Free Plan
Connect the Dots Printable Alphabet Worksheet (Robot-Themed)
Download the free connect the dots printable for your students to practice putting letters in alphabetical order.
- Free Plan
Synonym and Antonym Crossword Puzzle
Review vocabulary skills and boost your students’ knowledge of synonyms and antonyms with a crossword puzzle worksheet.
- Free Plan
Energy and Electricity Crossword Puzzle
Reinforce science vocabulary with an energy and electricity crossword puzzle.
- Plus Plan
Mini-Mystery – Who Won the Race?
A fun, logic-based activity where students read clues to solve a mystery.
- Free Plan
Mini-Mystery – Who Stole the Cookie?
A fun, logic puzzle activity where students read clues to solve a mystery.
- Free Plan
Personal Qualities Word Search
Explore different personal qualities with your students with this printable personal qualities word search.
- Plus Plan
April Fools' Day Word Search
Have a bit of word-friendly fun with an April Fools' Day word search.
- Plus Plan
Basketball Word Puzzle Worksheets
Have a bit of word-friendly fun with your sports fanatics using a pack of basketball themed worksheets.
- Free Plan
Recycling Word Search
Build your students’ vocabulary around the topic of recycling with this recycling-themed word search.
- Free Plan
Complex Dot-to-dot Worksheet – Ordering Fractions and Decimals (Cat)
Practice ordering fractions and decimals with this complex dot-to-dot worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Consonant Digraph Word Puzzles
Familiarize your students with a variety of consonant digraphs with these hands-on word puzzles.
- Free Plan
Adverb Crossword – Worksheet
A crossword for students to review different adverbs.
- Plus Plan
Visual Brainteaser Task Cards
A set of 20 visual brainteaser task cards for kids.
- Free Plan
2D and 3D Shapes Crossword with Solution
A crossword with clues for both 2D and 3D shapes.
- Plus Plan
Animal Classification Word Search Pack - Lower Grades
Introduce your students to the six animal types/classes with a pack of printable animal word search worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Elapsed Time - Math Maze Worksheets
Find start times, end times, and time elapsed to find your way through our printable Elapsed Time Math maze worksheets.
- Free Plan
Christmas Math Puzzle - Counting to 10
Count groups up to 10 with a printable Christmas math puzzle.
- Plus Plan
2 Digit Place Value Puzzles
Teach students the different representations of 2-digit numbers with this place value puzzle.
- Free Plan
Science Word Search - Lower Grades
Build your primary grade students’ vocabulary around the topic of innovation and invention with a word search worksheet.
- Free Plan
Missing Part Path - Find the Missing Number Worksheet
Practice using various subtraction strategies with a fun dice-roll math maze.