Twenty-two Thanksgiving words are already in this grid: the Turkey and its Wishbone, the Pilgrims and the Harvest, Stuffing, Gravy, Cranberry, Mashed potatoes and Pumpkin pie, plus the Parade and the Football game that fill the afternoon. The puzzle opens on Hard, with words running in all eight directions and filler letters borrowed from the words themselves, which makes it a good puzzle for teenagers and adults while the turkey rests.
Keep everyone busy before dinner
A word search is a quiet way to fill the half hour between arriving and sitting down. Print one per person and put them at the table with a pencil, or set two puzzles per page under Printing and cut the sheets in half. Children who arrive early can color in the found words with a highlighter.
Adjust the list
The words are a starting point. Add the names of the people at the table, a dish only your family makes, or the town you’re gathering in. Delete words that are hard for younger guests. The grid is rebuilt as you type and the preview shows the exact page that prints.
Thankful words for school
Teachers can turn this into a gratitude activity: after the puzzle, ask each student to pick three of the words and write a sentence about why they’re thankful for one of them. Switch Difficulty to Easy and Letters to lowercase for early readers, and use School print, whose letters look like the ones children learn to write.
The 22 words in this puzzle
Turkey · Pilgrims · Harvest · Cornucopia · Pumpkin pie · Cranberry · Stuffing · Gravy · Mashed potatoes · Gratitude · Feast · Autumn · November · Family · Parade · Football · Acorn · Leaves · Squash · Thankful · Wishbone · Casserole