About this puzzle
Taking care of your mind is a skill, the same way brushing your teeth is a habit. This list gives kids the words for that skill. Some are things to do in a tough moment, like Breathe, Stretch, and Calm. Some are daily habits that help us feel steady, like Sleep, Exercise, Nature, and a Hobby. Others are about people, like Friendship, Kindness, Support, and the bravest one of all, Ask for Help.
School counselors and teachers use this mental health word search during social-emotional learning lessons, during Mental Health Awareness Month in May, or as a quiet activity for a calm-down corner. Searching for words is itself a little focusing exercise. The notes give one simple, practical idea for each word, so after solving, kids can pick one to try that day.
The 25 words in this puzzle
Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.
In every version (12)
- Breathe
- Slow belly breathing helps the body relax. Try this: smell a pretend flower as you breathe in, then blow out a pretend candle as you breathe out.
- Calm
- Feeling calm means your body and mind feel quiet and steady. Counting slowly to ten or sitting in a cozy spot can help you get there.
- Family
- Family members and other trusted grown-ups can help when feelings get big. Sharing a meal or going for a walk together is a nice time to talk.
- Feelings
- Everyone has big and small feelings. Saying the name of a feeling out loud, like I feel frustrated, can make it easier to handle.
- Hope
- Hope is the feeling that things can get better, even on a hard day. Thinking of one thing you are looking forward to is a simple way to build it.
- Hug
- A hug from someone you trust can help you feel safe and cared for. Always ask first, though, because not everyone wants a hug at the same moment.
- Kindness
- Being kind helps other people and can make you feel good too. World Kindness Day is celebrated every year on November 13.
- Laugh
- Laughing with friends or family is a great way to let go of stress. A good laugh relaxes your muscles and can lift your mood for a while afterward.
- Music
- Calm music can help your body relax, and singing or dancing to an upbeat song can boost your energy. Try making a list of songs that help you feel good.
- Nature
- Spending time outside, like walking in a park or watching clouds, helps many people feel calmer and more refreshed.
- Sleep
- Sleep helps your brain rest and grow. Sleep experts recommend that kids ages 6 to 12 get about 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night.
- Smile
- Smiling can help you feel a little better, and it is catching, too. When you smile at someone, they often smile back without even thinking about it.
Added in Medium and Hard (8)
- Courage
- Courage is doing something even when you feel nervous. Trying something new or telling someone how you feel both take courage.
- Exercise
- Moving your body can lift your mood. Health experts recommend that kids and teens get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
- Friendship
- Good friends listen, share, and cheer each other on. Spending time with friends is one of the best ways to feel connected.
- Hobby
- A hobby is something you enjoy doing in your free time, like drawing, building, reading, or puzzles. Hobbies give your mind a happy break.
- Journal
- A journal is a notebook for writing or drawing about your day. Putting thoughts on paper can help them feel smaller and easier to sort out.
- Listen
- Listening carefully, without interrupting, shows friends that their feelings matter. Being a good listener is one of the kindest ways to help someone having a hard day.
- Patience
- Patience means waiting calmly. Taking a few deep breaths can help when you have to wait your turn or when something is hard to learn.
- Stretch
- Stretching loosens tight muscles and helps you feel more relaxed. Reaching up high like a tall tree is an easy stretch to try anywhere.
Added in Hard (5)
- Ask for Help
- Everyone needs help sometimes. If you feel worried or sad, you can talk to a trusted grown-up, like a parent, teacher, or school counselor.
- Gratitude
- Gratitude means noticing the good things in your life. Some families share three good things from their day at dinner or at bedtime.
- Mindful
- Being mindful means paying attention to what is happening right now. You can practice by noticing five things you see and four things you hear.
- Self Care
- Self care means doing things that keep your body and mind healthy, like eating well, resting, drinking water, and taking breaks.
- Support
- Support means the help and care we get from others. Family, friends, teachers, and coaches can all be part of your support team.
A few facts to share while you solve
- May has been observed as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States since 1949.
- World Mental Health Day is held every year on October 10. It was first observed in 1992.
- In one well-known study, people who wrote down a few things they were thankful for each week felt more positive about their lives than people who did not.
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 | 14 × 14 | Twenty words across, down and diagonally. No backwards words. |
| Hard | 25 | 16 × 16 | Every word, in all eight directions including backwards, with look-alike filler letters. |
| Large print | 12 | 10 × 10 | The 12 most familiar words on a small grid with big letters. No backwards words. |
Hard and large print versions
Hard mental health word search: all 25 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 mental health word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 10 × 10 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 age is this mental health word search for?
It is made for kids in kindergarten through about fifth grade. Short words like Calm, Smile, and Sleep make up the easy level, while longer words like Gratitude and Ask for Help give older kids more of a challenge on medium and hard. Teens and adults can play too.
How can teachers or counselors use this puzzle?
Use it to open a social-emotional learning lesson, as a calm-down activity, or during Mental Health Awareness Month in May. After solving, ask each student to choose one word and share a time it helped them, or pick one idea from the notes to try that week.
How many words are in the mental health puzzle?
Easy and large print use 12 words, medium uses 20, and hard uses all 25. They cover calming tools like Breathe and Stretch, healthy habits like Sleep and Exercise, and ways to connect with others like Kindness, Friendship, and Ask for Help. Each word has a short, kid-friendly note with an idea to try.
Is there an answer key for this mental health 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 25 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.
