Child Development Word Search Printable

A child development vocabulary puzzle with its answer key, from Infant and Toddler to Milestone, Attachment and Play.

Name Date

Child Development Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 16 words found

LEYCIFSHWGEIEHY

EMPATHYNURTUREB

IBAROBONDOECLNA

SAUEDANQVWMJSXB

EBYGDDRIETPILHL

ABDILBANWHEXAPT

TLFVEKMFEERLNAQ

TEZERCRAWLAXGFE

ABGREILNVEMYUAF

CURIOSITYOENAUT

HADMEKBSPVNHGIH

MPFNEWBORNTDETB

ELWSHFNVGRDRMXA

NAIDIDZFRSUBHMA

TYBBMILESTONEOL

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

MilestoneMILESTONE
ToddlerTODDLER
InfantINFANT
AttachmentATTACHMENT
PlayPLAY
GrowthGROWTH
NewbornNEWBORN
CrawlCRAWL
BabbleBABBLE
BondBOND
CaregiverCAREGIVER
TemperamentTEMPERAMENT
EmpathyEMPATHY
LanguageLANGUAGE
CuriosityCURIOSITY
NurtureNURTURE

16 of 20 words from the Child Development Key Terms list.

Write three sentences about a toddler's day. Use a word you found in each one.

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Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

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Answer key: Child Development Word Search

LEYCIFSHWGEIEHY

EMPATHYNURTUREB

IBAROBONDOECLNA

SAUEDANQVWMJSXB

EBYGDDRIETPILHL

ABDILBANWHEXAPT

TLFVEKMFEERLNAQ

TEZERCRAWLAXGFE

ABGREILNVEMYUAF

CURIOSITYOENAUT

HADMEKBSPVNHGIH

MPFNEWBORNTDETB

ELWSHFNVGRDRMXA

NAIDIDZFRSUBHMA

TYBBMILESTONEOL

MILESTONE, TODDLER, INFANT, ATTACHMENT, PLAY, GROWTH, NEWBORN, CRAWL, BABBLE, BOND, CAREGIVER, TEMPERAMENT, EMPATHY, LANGUAGE, CURIOSITY, NURTURE

Next step Print the emotions word search Type in the terms from your own chapter

All 164 words

Ages and Stages 15

Adolescence The years of growing from a child into an adult.
Baby A very young child.
Birth The beginning of life outside the mother; being born.
Childhood The time of life when a person is a child.
Growth The process of getting bigger or more mature.
Infancy The earliest period of childhood, before walking.
Infant A child in the earliest part of life.
Mature Fully grown or developed.
Newborn A baby who has just been born.
Prenatal Happening during pregnancy, before a baby is born.
Preschooler A child who is not yet old enough for kindergarten.
Stage One step or period in a process of growth.
Teenager A person between the ages of thirteen and nineteen.
Toddler A young child who is learning to walk.
Youngster A young person; a child.

Show all 164 words (149 more)

Body and Movement 23

Balance The ability to stay steady and not fall.
Climb To go up using the hands and feet.
Coordination The smooth working together of muscles to make a movement.
Crawl To move along on hands and knees.
Dexterity Skill in using the hands.
Grasp To take hold of something firmly with the hand.
Hop To jump on one foot.
Jump To spring off the ground with both feet.
Motor skills Abilities that use the muscles for a task, such as walking or holding a crayon.
Muscle Body tissue that tightens and loosens to make movement.
Posture The way a person holds the body when sitting or standing.
Reach To stretch out an arm to touch or take something.
Reflex An automatic response of the body that happens without thinking.
Roll To turn over and over.
Scribble To draw or write quickly with no care for shape.
Sense Any of the powers of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
Sit To rest with the body bent at the hips and the back upright.
Skip To move by hopping on one foot and then the other.
Stand To be upright on the feet.
Teething The coming of a baby's first teeth through the gums.
Tiptoe To walk quietly on the toes.
Toddle To walk with short, unsteady steps.
Walk To move along on foot, step by step.

Thinking and Language 22

Attention Keeping the mind on one thing.
Babble To make sounds like speech that are not yet real words.
Bilingual Able to use two languages.
Cognitive Having to do with knowing, thinking and remembering.
Coo To make a soft murmuring sound like that of a dove.
Count To say numbers in order; to find how many.
Curiosity A strong wish to know or learn about something.
Explore To look into or travel through something to find out about it.
Gesture A movement of the hands or head that shows an idea or feeling.
Imagination The power of the mind to form pictures of things that are not present.
Imitate To copy what someone else does or says.
Language The words people use, spoken or written, and the rules for putting them together.
Learn To gain knowledge or skill.
Listen To pay attention in order to hear.
Literacy The ability to read and write.
Memory The power to keep and bring back what has been learned.
Perception Becoming aware of things through the senses.
Reasoning Thinking a matter through to reach a conclusion.
Recognize To know someone or something from having met it before.
Sort To put things into groups by kind.
Speech The act of speaking; spoken language.
Vocabulary All the words a person knows and uses.

Feelings and Relationships 26

Affection A fond or tender feeling toward someone.
Anxiety A feeling of worry or unease.
Attachment A bond of affection, such as the one between a baby and the person who cares for it.
Autonomy Independence; ruling oneself.
Belonging The feeling of being a natural part of a group.
Bond A tie of feeling that holds people together.
Comfort To ease the sadness or pain of someone.
Confidence Trust in one's own abilities.
Cooperate To work together toward one goal.
Cry To shed tears.
Cuddle To hold close in the arms.
Emotion A feeling such as joy, anger or fear.
Empathy Understanding and sharing how another person feels.
Friendship The tie between people who like and trust each other.
Hug To put the arms around and hold close.
Identity The set of qualities that make a person who they are.
Independence Being able to do things without help.
Kindness Being gentle and helpful to others.
Peer A person of the same age or standing.
Resilience The ability to recover quickly from trouble.
Security Freedom from danger or fear; a feeling of being safe.
Share To let someone else use or have part of something.
Shy Timid with strangers.
Tantrum A fit of bad temper.
Temperament A person's usual way of feeling and reacting.
Trust Firm belief that someone can be relied on.

Play and Toys 25

Ball A round object thrown, kicked or bounced in games.
Blocks Small cubes of wood or plastic used as a building toy.
Bubble A thin ball of soapy film filled with air.
Cooperative Done by working together toward one goal.
Crayon A stick of colored wax for drawing.
Doll A toy shaped like a person.
Game An activity with rules, done for fun.
Hopscotch A game of hopping through numbered spaces drawn on the ground.
Imaginary Existing only in the mind.
Onlooker A person who watches without joining in.
Parallel Side by side; children busy in this way are near each other but not together.
Peekaboo A game for a small child in which a person hides the face and then shows it.
Play To take part in games or fun for enjoyment.
Pretend To make believe.
Puppet A small figure moved by a hand or strings.
Puzzle A toy or problem that tests cleverness, such as a picture cut in pieces.
Rattle A baby's toy that makes a noise when shaken.
Rhyme Words that end with the same sound, as in a nursery verse.
Sandbox A low box filled with sand for children to dig in.
Seesaw A long plank balanced in the middle; a child rides on each end, up and down.
Slide A smooth sloping surface for children to go down.
Solitary Alone; a child busy in this way is not with others.
Swing A seat hung from ropes or chains for moving back and forth.
Toy An object for a child to have fun with.
Tricycle A vehicle with three wheels moved by pedals.

Care and Routines 32

Adoption Legally taking a child into a family to raise as one's own.
Babysitter A person who cares for a child while the parents are away for a short time.
Bedtime The hour when a person usually goes to sleep.
Bib A cloth tied under a child's chin to keep clothes clean at meals.
Bottle A container from which a baby drinks milk.
Caregiver A person who looks after a child.
Childproof Made safe for young children, or hard for them to open.
Cradle A small low bed for a baby, often on rockers.
Crib A baby's bed with high sides.
Day care Care and supervision in the daytime for children below school age.
Diaper A folded piece of absorbent cloth or paper that a baby wears fastened at the waist.
Discipline Training that teaches a person to follow rules.
Family A group of people who are related, such as parents and their children.
Guardian A person who is legally responsible for the care of a minor.
Highchair A tall chair with a tray, for feeding a small child.
Hygiene Practices, such as washing, that help keep a person healthy.
Kindergarten A class for young children that serves as an introduction to school.
Lullaby A soft song sung to send a child to sleep.
Nap A short sleep, often in the daytime.
Nursery A room in a home set apart for children.
Nurture To care for and help to grow.
Nutrition The food a body takes in and uses for growth.
Pacifier A rubber or plastic piece for a baby to suck or chew on.
Parent A mother or father.
Pediatrician A doctor who cares for babies and children.
Preschool A school for children who are not yet old enough for kindergarten.
Routine A set of things done in the same order every day.
Safety Freedom from danger or harm.
Sibling A brother or sister.
Stroller A carriage on three or four wheels in which a small child is pushed.
Supervise To be in charge of and direct.
Swaddle To wrap a baby snugly in cloth.

Studying How Children Grow 21

Behavior The way a person acts.
Development The process of growing and changing over time.
Domain A field or area of activity or knowledge.
Emotional Having to do with feelings.
Environment The surroundings and conditions in which a person lives.
Gene A unit of heredity passed from parent to child.
Heredity The passing of traits from parents to their children.
Inherit To receive a trait from a parent.
Maturation The process of becoming fully grown or developed.
Milestone An important event or turning point, such as a baby's first step.
Nature The qualities a person is born with.
Observe To watch with care.
Pattern A regular way in which something happens or is done.
Physical Having to do with the body.
Psychology The science of the mind and behavior.
Readiness The state of being prepared for something.
Research Careful study to find out facts.
Scaffolding Support given to a learner by a teacher during the learning process.
Sequence The order in which things follow one another.
Theory A set of ideas offered to explain something.
Trait A feature of a person, often one that is inherited.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the word list and every clue were written for this page. Spellings and meanings were checked on 2026-10-11 against The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, https://www.ahdictionary.com/. Terms of the subject were checked on 2026-10-11 against English Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/, in the articles Child development, Motor skill, Parten's stages of play, Attachment theory, Instructional scaffolding and Nature versus nurture. The list is vocabulary for a class and is not advice about any child. Licence: own work

How it works

This child development word search printable opens on 16 key terms: Milestone, Toddler, Infant, Attachment and Play among them. Seven more lists run from Ages and Stages to Care and Routines, and every word has a one-line meaning.

Read the full guide

Growing, moving and thinking

Under Start from a list, Ages and Stages runs from Prenatal and Newborn to Adolescence. Body and Movement has Motor skills, Crawl, Grasp, Reflex and Coordination. Thinking and Language has Babble, Imitate, Curiosity, Vocabulary and Bilingual.

Feelings, play and care

Feelings and Relationships has Attachment, Temperament, Empathy and Tantrum. Play and Toys has Peekaboo, Rattle, Parallel and Cooperative. Care and Routines has Caregiver, Swaddle, Lullaby and Childproof. Studying How Children Grow has Milestone, Heredity, Environment and Maturation.

Motor skills and Day care are hidden with no gap: MOTORSKILLS.
Short Child Development Words has 39 words of three to five letters, such as Bond, Crib, Hug and Play.
Under More options, tick Show clues, not words and Toddler prints as "A young child who is learning to walk."

Questions and answers

What are developmental milestones?

A milestone is an important event in a child's development, such as a first word, learning to crawl or learning to walk.

What is the difference between gross and fine motor skills?

Gross motor skills use the large muscle groups of the legs, torso and arms, as in walking, balancing and crawling. Fine motor skills use smaller muscles, such as those of the hands and fingers, for precise tasks like tying shoelaces.

What are the stages of play?

One classification, made in 1929 and still widely used, names six types: unoccupied, solitary, onlooker, parallel, associative and cooperative play. Solitary, Onlooker, Parallel and Cooperative are in the Play and Toys list.

What is attachment in child development?

Attachment is an emotional bond. In child development the word is used for the early bond between an infant and a primary caregiver, which attachment theory treats as important to social and emotional growth.

All 164 words

Ages and Stages 15

Body and Movement 23

Thinking and Language 22

Feelings and Relationships 26

Play and Toys 25

Care and Routines 32

Studying How Children Grow 21

How it works

Growing, moving and thinking

Feelings, play and care

Questions and answers

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