First Word Searches

Word searches made for a child who has only just started reading. Every word runs left to right or top to bottom — never backwards, never diagonally — because a new reader has enough to do without reading in four directions at once. The first eight puzzles are 8×8 with short words; the rest are 10×10 on themes a child actually cares about: pets, snacks, the garden, getting dressed, Christmas, Halloween and feelings. The answers are at the back, printed from the same placement as the puzzles, so a key can never be wrong. Then stand up and make letters with your body - I, T, Y, X, A and O - and try a two-person word: I + T = IT. Draw a magnifying glass and a treasure chest in four easy steps, join the dots to find a key, finish the other half of a castle, spot the difference, sort animals from things and find the way through three mazes.