About this puzzle
The first week of school is full of new things to name: a new teacher, a new classroom, a locker that won't open on the first try, and a backpack stuffed with supplies. This puzzle uses familiar words kids will see and hear in those first days, from pencils and glue sticks to the school bus ride and, everyone's favorite, recess. The words are short and concrete, so even early readers can match them to things around the room.
Teachers often hand it out as a quiet morning task while the class settles in and supply lists get sorted. It also makes a gentle bridge from summer at home, and parents can use it to talk through what the new year will look like. Easy keeps every word reading forward; older kids can try Medium for diagonal words or Hard for backward ones too.
The 24 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Backpack
- A bag carried on the back with two shoulder straps. Doctors suggest a loaded backpack weigh no more than about 10 to 15 percent of a child's body weight.
- Bell
- A school bell signals when classes start and end and when it is time for recess or lunch. Many schools now use electronic tones instead of ringing bells.
- Crayons
- Crayons are made from wax and colored pigment. Crayola sold its first box of eight crayons in 1903, with colors including black, brown, blue, and red.
- Desk
- A desk is a student's own workspace in the classroom. Many school desks have a storage space under the top for books, folders, and supplies.
- Eraser
- Erasers rub away pencil marks by grabbing the graphite. Before rubber erasers, people used balls of bread to clean up mistakes.
- Friends
- The first weeks of school are a great time to make new friends. Saying hello, learning names, and sharing at recess are simple ways to start.
- Lunchbox
- A box or bag for carrying a packed lunch. Metal lunchboxes decorated with TV and cartoon characters became hugely popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Pencil
- Pencil 'lead' is not lead at all. It is a mix of graphite and clay, and more clay makes a harder, lighter line.
- Recess
- Recess is a break in the school day for free play, usually outside. Studies link recess to better attention and behavior in class.
- Ruler
- A straight measuring tool. School rulers usually show 12 inches on one edge and 30 centimeters on the other.
- School Bus
- Most American school buses use the same yellow color, chosen at a national conference in 1939 because black lettering on yellow is easy to see.
- Teacher
- A teacher plans lessons and helps students learn. In the United States, many states and schools honor teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week in May.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Classroom
- The room where a class meets. Many teachers set up reading corners, calendars, and job charts to help students learn the daily routine.
- Folder
- A folder is a folded sheet of stiff paper or plastic that keeps papers together. Many classes use take-home folders to carry notes between school and home.
- Glue Stick
- Solid glue in a twist-up tube, invented by the German company Henkel in 1969. It is less messy than liquid glue for paper projects.
- Homework
- Schoolwork done at home to practice skills from class. A quiet spot and a regular time each day make homework easier to finish.
- Library
- A place to borrow books for free. The word comes from the Latin liber, meaning book. Many schools have a librarian who helps students find books they love.
- Notebook
- A book of blank or lined paper for writing notes. Wide ruled and college ruled are the two most common line spacings in American school notebooks.
- Playground
- A playground has swings, slides, and climbing equipment for active play at recess. Soft surfaces like wood chips or rubber mats help cushion falls.
- Scissors
- A cutting tool with two blades joined in the middle. Kids' safety scissors have rounded tips to help prevent pokes and cuts.
Added in Hard (4)
- Cafeteria
- The cafeteria is where students eat lunch at school. The National School Lunch Program, started in 1946, helps provide low-cost or free meals to millions of American students.
- Calendar
- Many classrooms start the day with a calendar routine, naming the date, the month, and the day of the week. It helps young students learn how time is organized.
- Locker
- A small cabinet with a lock where students keep books, coats, and supplies. Lockers are especially common in American middle and high schools.
- Principal
- The principal leads the whole school, supporting teachers, students, and families. A classic spelling tip helps kids remember the ending: the principal is your pal.
A few facts to share while you solve
- The standard yellow school bus color was chosen at a 1939 conference organized by Columbia University professor Frank Cyr. Black letters on that yellow stand out well, even in early morning light.
- In 1770, scientist Joseph Priestley noticed that a piece of natural rubber could wipe away pencil marks. That is why erasers are still called rubbers in Britain.
- There is no lead in a pencil. The core is graphite mixed with clay, and the old name stuck because people once thought graphite was a form of lead.
Four versions of this puzzle
Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.
| Version | Words | Grid | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words, reading forward across and down. |
| Medium | 20 | 15 × 15 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 24 | 16 × 16 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 11 × 11 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard back to school word search: all 24 words on a 16 × 16 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.
Large print back to school word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 11 × 11 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.
Printing this word search
Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.
How to play online
- Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
- Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
- Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.
Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.
Questions and answers
What grade is this back to school word search for?
It is written for kindergarten through about third grade. Every word is something kids use or see at school, and the easy level keeps all words reading forward across or down. Fourth and fifth graders can play on medium or hard so it still feels like a challenge.
How can I use this word search on the first day of school?
Set a copy on each desk as a morning starter while families drop off and supplies get put away. Afterward, walk around the room and have students point to each item they found, like the ruler, scissors, and glue stick. It is a low-pressure way to learn the classroom.
How many words are in the puzzle?
Easy and Large Print use the 12 most familiar words, a good number for young solvers to finish in one sitting. Medium uses 20, and Hard uses all 24. Two-word entries, Glue Stick and School Bus, are hidden without the space, so remind kids to look for GLUESTICK and SCHOOLBUS as one long word.
Is there an answer key for this back to school word search?
Yes. Choose Print / PDF above the puzzle and keep “Add an answer key page” ticked. The key prints on its own page, with every word highlighted. While playing online, Show answers outlines any words you haven’t found yet.
Can I print copies for my class or group?
Yes. Every puzzle on BetterWordSearch is free to print for personal, classroom, library and homeschool use. Print as many copies as you need. To change the words or make several different versions of the grid, use the word search maker.
What changes between Easy, Medium, Hard and Large print?
Easy hides the 12 most familiar words, reading left to right and top to bottom. Medium uses 20 words and adds diagonals. Hard hides all 24 words in every direction, including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. Large print uses the same words as Easy on a small grid and prints with big letters.
