12 Best Free Printable Summer Word Search Puzzles for Kids
Last updated: June 13, 2025 by the Homemade Gifts Coloring Team
Grab a summer word search for while you're chilling by the poolside! 🍹
The sun is shining. The pool is open. School is out. It’s official - summer is here! Can you smell the barbecue? I love having my kids home from school for the summer, but those long summer days really are long when the kids start getting restless. A free printable word search puzzle can patch over the downtimes between trips to the park and beach. Even better, these puzzles are educational as well as entertaining, so you can sneak in a little summer learning during the break!
Summer is so much fun, but even my kids can’t play outside all day every day. Everyone needs a break once in a while. Summer word search puzzles are a great way to take a break from the sun, and possibly learn something in the process. To download your printable summer word search puzzles, just click on the puzzle or the text beneath. And if you’re stumped, keep scrolling to see the solutions.
Easy Summer Word Search Puzzles
Start your children off with an easy summer word search puzzle. Each of these easy word searches has 10 hidden words, and the word direction is either right or down. There are no backward or diagonal words.
Medium Summer Word Search Puzzles
Hone your word searching skills even more, or turn up the difficulty if the easy puzzles were too simple for your kids. Each of these medium-difficulty summer word searches contains 20 hidden words, and the word direction is either horizontal or vertical. A few are even backward.
Hard Summer Word Search Puzzles
These hard summer word searches will really make you sweat! You need to find 30 words, and they can be in any direction: horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, as well as backward. These might be too tricky for the little ones, but they’re great for teens and adults.
Solutions for Summer Word Searches
If you’re stuck, don’t worry about it. We can help you out. Check out these summer word search puzzle solution sheets to find those last couple tricky words that are stumping you.
Summer Word Search FAQs
If you want to know even more about summer word searches, we’ve got all the answers right here. Keep reading to learn more about summer word searches.
How Do Word Searches Promote Learning?
Word searches can help children in particular learn concentration, focus, and even spelling. The need to sit and keep a word in mind in order to find it in the puzzle is great for young minds. They may even encounter new vocabulary along the way.
A key component of getting educational benefits out of a summer word search puzzle is having an adult around who can answer questions about what certain words mean. Otherwise, children might memorize a word for a time, but just as quickly forget it. Incorporate word searches into a classroom setting or summer learning to keep your kids’ minds sharp.
What Age Groups Are Word Searches Good For?
The beauty of word searches is that they’re truly great for all ages. Our easy summer word searches are suitable for young children who are still just beginning to learn to read and write. Our hardest summer word searches might stump even you, however. Don’t underestimate them just because they’re puzzles. Make sure you find the right difficulty level for yourself and your kids, but after that, all can enjoy a summer word search puzzle.
Can I Make My Own Word Searches?
Definitely! You can make your own word searches by hard, or use online tools to customize a summer word search. This is great if you’re a teacher trying to focus on a specific vocabulary lesson or a parent who wants to impart specific words.
Either way, you can make your own fully customizable summer word search super easily. If you’re doing it by hand, start by drawing a grid, then fill in your words and put the decoy letters around them. If you’re doing it online, simply follow the website’s instructions.
What Languages Do Word Searches Come In?
Our summer word searches are in English, but a customizable word search can come in any language. It’s a fantastic way to teach kids additional languages as well. Word searches are an excellent tool for vocabulary learning in any language at all.
More Summer Printables for Kids
I hope you enjoyed our summer word search puzzles! If you're looking for more summer activities to do with your kids, take a look at our huge collection of coloring pages! They're all completely free to download and will keep your little ones happily busy.
- Summer Coloring Pages
- Ice Cream Coloring Pages
- Fourth of July Coloring Pages
- Back to School Coloring Pages
Or, if your kid just really loves word searches, check out our complete collection of Printable Word Searches on All Topics and our Hard Word Searches.
