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
- Plus Plan
Uppercase and Lowercase Letter Maze - 'Pp'
A fun maze to use when learning how to identify uppercase and lowercase letters.
- Free Plan
Search and Find – Gingerbread House
Gingerbread house search and find activity.
- Plus Plan
Time Conversion Math Maze Worksheets
Convert units of time while finding your way through this set of 3 Time Conversion math mazes.
- Plus Plan
Bowerbird Word Search
Explore the vocabulary surrounding the world of Bowerbirds with this printable word search.
- Plus Plan
Area Model Multiplication Small Group Activity
Review multiplication using the area model with this small group activity.
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Tacky Christmas Sweater Problem Solving Activity
Build visual discrimination skills and focus on attention to detail with an Ugly Christmas sweater Problem Solving Activity.
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Vowel Teams Picture Puzzle
Practice decoding words with long vowel team conventions with this 15 piece picture puzzle.
- Plus Plan
Multiplication Array Puzzles
Guide your students to match arrays, multiplication facts and repeated addition sentences with this set of puzzles.
- Plus Plan
Spooky 3-Digit Subtraction - Maze Game
Practice three-digit subtraction with regrouping skills with printable Halloween Subtraction Maze worksheets.
- Free Plan
Soil Vocabulary Word Search
Immerse your students in the subject-specific vocabulary related to soil with this word search perfect for elementary students.
- Plus Plan
Innovate and Invent! Science Word Search
Build your students’ vocabulary around the topics of innovation and invention with a word search worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Picture Puzzles - Team Building Activities
A set of 10 picture puzzles to use as a team-building activity.
- Plus Plan
Fact Family Mazes Differentiated Worksheet Set
Use this differentiated worksheet set to provide independent practice of fact family knowledge to solve multiplication expressions.
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Natural Disasters – Printable Puzzles for 3rd Grade
Match pictures and facts of various natural disasters with this set of printable science puzzles.
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Main Idea and Detail Puzzle
Practice deciphering the main idea from the supporting detail with this printable puzzle.
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Earth, Sun, and Moon – Vocabulary Cards and Puzzles
Reinforce science vocabulary with this set of word wall cards and vocabulary puzzles covering the Earth, sun, and moon.
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Fractions and Decimals Number Line Puzzles
Practice identifying fractions and decimals on a number line with this set of 2- and 3-piece puzzles.
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Blending Phonemes - Word Puzzles
Practice blending sounds to encode and decode words with these hands-on word puzzles.
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Antonyms - Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle
Turn your language learners into vocabulary superstars with a fun antonym crossword puzzle.
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Natural Resources Word Search
Review the different natural resources with a word search.
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Space Word Search
Review science vocabulary terms with an engaging space word search.
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Long Vowel Words - Long A Word Search
Explore words containing some of the most common “long a” vowel teams with this set of differentiated word searches.
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Dividing Decimals Math Mazes
Review how to divide a decimal by a decimal and a whole number with this set of math mazes.
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Equivalent Ratios – Math Mazes
Practice how to find equivalent ratios with this set of math mazes.
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Order of Operations Math Maze
Evaluate numerical expressions using the order of operations with this math maze!
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World War I Crossword Puzzle
Review World War I ideas and vocabulary words with a crossword puzzle.
- Plus Plan
Life Cycle of a Frog – Vocabulary Cards and Puzzles
Reinforce science vocabulary with this set of word wall cards and vocabulary puzzles covering the life cycle of a frog.
- Plus Plan
Multiplying Decimals Math Mazes
Complete decimal multiplication problems while finding your way through this set of three math mazes.
- Plus Plan
Colonial America Crossword Puzzle
Review Colonial America vocabulary with a crossword puzzle.
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Blending Phoneme Puzzles — 3-Phoneme Words
Master blending phonemes with phoneme blending puzzles as a reading center activity.
- Plus Plan
Contractions Practice Worksheets
Reinforce the concept of contractions with eight worksheets designed for primary learners.
- Plus Plan
Counting by 10's Maze
Find the fun and learn to skip count by 10s up to 100 with this engaging maze activity!