Word Search
Family Word Search | Free Printable
About This Worksheet
Family words carry more weight for a young child than any other vocabulary, because each one names somebody they love. That emotional pull does real work: children stay with this puzzle longer than they stay with an abstract one.
It is deliberately one of the easiest sheets on the site. Short words, a small grid, no diagonals. If your child has never finished a word search, start here or with the farm animals sheet.
The word bank has 6 words in a 10x10 grid: Mom, Dad, Baby, Aunt, Uncle, Sister.
Skills Practiced
Family vocabulary
Sight-word practice
Visual discrimination
Letter matching
Early reading confidence
How to Use This Worksheet
- Name your own family first. Before starting, say who each word refers to in your house. The word MOM means someone specific, and that is why it is worth reading.
- Point to the shape of the word. Young children recognise word shapes before they decode letters. Encourage them to look for the shape, not to sound out every square.
- Draw the family afterwards. Turn the sheet over and draw everyone they found. The drawing is what turns a puzzle into an afternoon.
- Take turns. Let them find one word, then you find one. Modelling the scanning is more useful than instructing it.
Not sure this is the right level? Our guide to free printable word search puzzles for kids walks through every age in turn — see what to expect from a word search for 4 year olds or a word search for 5 year olds, and which puzzle to print next.