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
Valentine’s Day Word Search
Stretch your students’ vocabulary and reading skills with a sweet Valentine’s Day word search.
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Valentine’s Day Worksheet - Crack the Code
Use this code breaker worksheet as a Valentine’s Day activity with your students.
- Free Plan
Expanded Notation Puzzles - Decimals
Practice expanded notation using decimals and whole numbers with this set of 28 puzzle pieces.
- 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
Rainforest Maze
A fun, rainforest-themed maze for students to complete.
- Free Plan
I Spy Oral Language Activity
Encourage the development of oral language with this fun "I Spy" activity.
- Free Plan
Alphabet Sounds Picture Puzzle
Dive into letter-sound correspondence with your students using this alphabet picture puzzle.
- Free Plan
OW and OU Words - Word Search
Explore "ou" and "ow" words with this set of differentiated word searches.
- Free Plan
Counting by 5's Maze
Get to the party by skip counting to 100 with our counting by 5’s worksheet.
- 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.
- Plus Plan
Search and Find – Family Outing
A fun, search and find activity with a family outing scene.
- Free Plan
Mini-Mystery – Who Stole the Cookie?
A fun, logic puzzle activity where students read clues to solve a mystery.
- Plus Plan
Number Ordering Puzzles - Cut and Paste
Help students order numbers up to 20 with a set of 8 cut-and-paste number ordering puzzles.
- Free Plan
Empathy Word Search
Introduce or review vocabulary terms related to empathy with this free word search worksheet.
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Find the Missing Side Interactive Puzzle
Explore perimeter with missing sides with your students using this interactive digital puzzle.
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Multiplication Array Puzzles
Guide your students to match arrays, multiplication facts and repeated addition sentences with this set of puzzles.
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Mini-Mystery – Who Killed the Class Plant?
A fun, logic-based activity where students read clues to solve the mystery.
- Free Plan
Math Mazes - Two-digit Addition
Practice adding two-digit numbers with this set of differentiated math mazes.
- Plus Plan
Improper Fraction to Mixed Number Activity
Share this improper fraction to mixed number activity with your students to engage them while they practice converting fractions of more than one.
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Number Ordering Worksheets (Dot-to-Dot)
Share these dot-to-dot number ordering worksheets with your students to give them an engaging way to practice ordering two and three digit numbers.
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States of Matter Maze Worksheets
Practice identifying examples of solids, liquids, and gases with a set of printable States of Matter Maze Worksheets.
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Adding and Subtracting Unlike Fractions Puzzle Pack
Get your students adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators with this set of nine fraction puzzles!
- Plus Plan
Unit Fraction Puzzles
Find matching representations of fractions on a number line and visual models while piecing together a 4-piece puzzle.
- Plus Plan
Plant Adaptation Puzzles - Matching Activity
Match plants with their unique adaptations using a printable puzzle-matching activity.
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Kindness Word Search
Download a printable word search about kindness for elementary school to explore this important aspect of social awareness with your students.
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Animal Adaptations Word Search
Develop science vocabulary skills with a printable animal adaptations word search.
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Decimals on Number Lines - Codebreaker Worksheets
Crack the number line code with worksheets practicing identification, addition, and subtraction of decimal numbers.
- 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
Earth Day Word Search - Printable
Identify environmental terms with this Earth Day word search.
- Free Plan
Energy and Electricity Crossword Puzzle
Reinforce science vocabulary with an energy and electricity crossword puzzle.
- Free Plan
Math Mazes (Equivalent Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages)
Determine equivalent fractions, decimals, and percentages with this puzzling math maze.
- Plus Plan
Math Mazes (Place Value)
Determine the correct paths through each maze using knowledge of place value.