Printable Crossword Puzzles for Kids About Nature

Print a criss-cross nature crossword for kids: woods, pond, meadow, wildlife and bugs, with its answer key.

More options

Settings you change are kept in this browser for your next visit.

Name Date

Nature Crossword

Read each clue and write the answer in the squares that start at its number, one letter in each square.

This grid is wider than a phone screen, so it scrolls sideways. It prints whole.

Tap a square, and its clue shows here.

Across

Down

Type in a square and the next one takes over. Tap the same square again, or press Space, to switch between Across and Down. Arrow keys move around the grid, Enter goes to the next clue, and a clue takes you to its squares.

Print gives 2 pages on Letter or A4: the puzzle with its clues, then the answer key. The squares print 10 mm wide. For a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window.

A share link holds the puzzle number and these settings, nothing you typed.

Answer key: Nature Crossword

1F2L3ROO4TI5NOU6SNAKEGRTS7STREAMTLN8QUIE9T10RIVE11RAA12HIKEILN

Across 3 ROOT · 6 SNAKE · 7 STREAM · 8 QUIET · 10 RIVER · 12 HIKE

Down 1 FROG · 2 LISTEN · 4 TURTLE · 5 NEST · 9 TRAIL · 11 RAIN

Next step Print the camping word searchFind nature words in a word search

All 193 clues

Show all clues and answers

In the Woods 31

  • Acorn Squirrels hide this capped treat in fall
  • Bark The coat a tree wears, rough or smooth
  • Berry Birds strip this little fruit from the bushes
  • Birch Tree known by its peeling, papery outer layer
  • Branch A bird perches on one; a climber reaches for the next
  • Bud Small swelling on a stem with a folded-up bloom or shoot inside
  • Canopy The treetops, seen from below as one green ceiling
  • Cone Woody, scaly thing that drops from an evergreen and holds its seeds
  • Fern Its young fronds unroll like the head of a fiddle
  • Forest Wide stretch of woods
  • Grove Little cluster of trees standing by themselves
  • Hollow Empty space inside an old tree where animals make homes
  • Leaf It turns red or gold in fall and drifts to the ground
  • Lichen Crusty gray-green growth on rocks: fungi and algae living as partners
  • Log Thick piece of a fallen tree, home to beetles and mushrooms
  • Maple Tree with winged seeds that spin as they drop
  • Moss It feels like damp velvet under your fingertips
  • Mushroom It pops up overnight on a damp lawn, with a cap on top
  • Needle What an evergreen has in place of broad leaves
  • Oak Hardwood tree; many kinds have leaves with rounded lobes
  • Pine Evergreen whose long needles grow in bunches, most often of two to five
  • Root It grows down and out of sight, and holds a tree up
  • Sap Watery juice that flows inside a plant
  • Seed A tree may begin as one, dropped by a bird
  • Shade Step under a tree to find it at noon
  • Stump What is left standing after a tree is cut down
  • Thorn It snags a sleeve on a bramble
  • Trunk The part of a tree you can hug
  • Twig Tiny woody shoot, easy to snap
  • Vine Climber that winds itself up a tree
  • Willow Tree fond of wet ground; one kind is said to weep

Pond and Stream 31

  • Beaver Its sharp front teeth fell trees, and its tail is broad and flat
  • Cattail Tall wetland plant whose tiny flowers pack into what looks like a hot dog on a stick
  • Creek Little flowing waterway, also called a brook
  • Dam Stick wall that turns a brook into a still pool
  • Dragonfly Long, slender insect with huge eyes that holds its wings out flat at rest
  • Duck Its broad flat bill and webbed feet suit a life on the water
  • Fish A flash of scales in the shallows
  • Frog Smooth-skinned jumper that croaks
  • Heron Waterside bird that is nearly all legs, neck and beak
  • Lake Still water too wide to throw a stone across
  • Lily Water plant whose round leaves float flat
  • Lodge Dome of sticks that beavers live in
  • Marsh Open, soggy land where cattails grow and few trees do
  • Minnow Tiny silvery freshwater swimmer
  • Mud Squishy brown mess made of dirt and water
  • Newt Slim amphibian that keeps its tail all its life
  • Otter Sleek, playful swimmer that slides down banks into the water
  • Pebble It fits in a pocket and skips across still water
  • Pond Frogs croak at its edge on warm nights
  • Puddle A good stomp in one sends up a splash
  • Reed Tall, stiff plant that grows in clumps at the water's edge
  • Ripple Ring that spreads when a stone plops in
  • River Wide water that flows between two banks
  • Snail It creeps on a single foot and wears a coiled shell
  • Spring Place where water flows out of the ground
  • Stream Flowing water you can often step or wade across
  • Swamp Wet woods where tree trunks stand in dark water
  • Tadpole Little wiggler, all head and tail, that will grow legs and lose the tail
  • Toad Warty hopper that spends more time on land than its smooth cousin
  • Turtle It never leaves home: its shell goes wherever it goes
  • Waterfall Water's noisy leap off a rocky ledge

Meadow and Wildflowers 24

  • Bee Striped buzzer that visits one blossom after another
  • Buttercup Yellow wildflower named for a dairy spread and a drinking vessel
  • Butterfly Bright-winged insect with a knob at the tip of each feeler
  • Clover Low lawn plant with round white blooms; its leaflets come in threes
  • Daisy White-and-yellow lawn bloom, often strung into chains
  • Dandelion Yellow lawn bloom whose name means lion's tooth
  • Field Open land without trees
  • Flower Bees land on it for a drink
  • Grass Green blades that cover a lawn
  • Groundhog Burrowing animal also called a woodchuck
  • Hawk Hunting bird with a short hooked bill and strong claws for seizing mice
  • Hill It is fun to roll down and tiring to climb
  • Meadow Open, sunny grassland where wildflowers bloom
  • Milkweed Plant whose leaves feed monarch caterpillars
  • Mole Small digger that tunnels under lawns
  • Nectar Sugary drink hidden deep inside a blossom
  • Petal One of the colored leaves of a blossom
  • Pollen Fine golden powder that sticks to a visiting insect's legs
  • Rabbit It nibbles greens, then bolts with a flash of white tail
  • Snake It moves in S-curves and has no legs at all
  • Sparrow Small brownish bird that eats mostly seeds
  • Stalk Tall stem that holds a bloom up high
  • Thistle Prickly-leaved plant whose ripe blooms turn to feathery down
  • Violet Low-growing wildflower, most often purplish blue

Wildlife 39

  • Antler Bony growth on a buck's head, shed and regrown each year
  • Bat Night flier whose wings are skin stretched over long finger bones
  • Bear Big furry animal of the woods that eats both plants and animals
  • Bobcat Wild cat with a short tail and tufted ears
  • Burrow Underground home with a doorway in the dirt
  • Camouflage Looking so much like the background that a hunter walks right by
  • Chipmunk Small striped relative of tree squirrels
  • Coyote Wild relative of dogs whose howl changes quickly in tone and pitch
  • Crow Bird with coal-black feathers and a rough, cawing call
  • Deer Hoofed animal of the woods whose family includes the elk and the caribou
  • Eagle Large hunting bird with a hooked beak and broad wings
  • Egg A chick hatches from it
  • Fawn A doe's youngster in its first year
  • Feather A bird may drop one, light as air, for you to find
  • Flock Many geese or starlings moving as one
  • Fox Bushy-tailed wild cousin of dogs
  • Fur Thick, hairy covering that a mammal grooms and sheds
  • Habitat For a trout it is a cold brook; for a cactus, a desert
  • Hare Long-legged relative of rabbits
  • Herd Group of grazing animals
  • Hibernate Lie dormant in a den all winter
  • Migrate Fly south for the winter, as geese do
  • Moose Tall animal with broad antlers shaped like open hands
  • Mouse Tiny squeaker with round ears that nibbles seeds
  • Nest Woven cup of twigs high in the fork of a tree
  • Nocturnal Awake while you sleep
  • Owl Its who-who carries through the woods after dark
  • Paw Foot of an animal with claws
  • Porcupine Prickly rodent whose name comes from Latin words for pig and spine
  • Predator The hunter, not the hunted
  • Prey What the hunter is after
  • Raccoon Ring-tailed night visitor that looks as if it wears a mask
  • Robin Rusty-breasted songbird, among the first to sing each morning
  • Skunk Its white stripes warn that a smelly spray may follow
  • Squirrel Gray or red acrobat of the treetops, with a plume of a tail
  • Tracks Line of footprints an animal leaves behind
  • Wildlife Wild animals of a place, taken together
  • Wolf Its pack howls together
  • Woodpecker You hear its rat-a-tat on a tree before you see it

Bugs and Small Creatures 22

  • Ant Tiny six-legged worker that marches in lines
  • Antenna One of a pair of feelers
  • Beetle Six-legged crawler in shiny armor
  • Caterpillar Hungry crawler that munches leaves until it is time to change
  • Centipede Flat, fast crawler found under stones, with dozens of legs
  • Chrysalis Smooth hard case in which a crawling youngster becomes a winged adult
  • Cicada Insect whose loud buzzing fills summer treetops
  • Cocoon Silk sleeping bag in which a crawler grows wings
  • Cricket Its steady chirping fills a warm evening
  • Firefly Insect whose tail end glows on summer nights
  • Hive Home of honeybees
  • Ladybug Little red dome with black dots that walks up a stem
  • Larva The wormlike young stage of many insects
  • Mosquito Whining biter whose eggs are laid on water
  • Moth It flutters around the porch lamp after dark
  • Slug Slimy garden crawler with no shell
  • Spider Eight-legged hunter that makes silk to trap insects
  • Sting Painful jab from an insect's tail end
  • Wasp Narrow-waisted flier; yellowjackets and hornets are the best-known kinds
  • Web Wheel of fine threads strung between two stems
  • Wing Body part used for flying
  • Worm Legless wriggler that tunnels underground

Sky, Weather and Ground 25

  • Breeze Gentle movement of air
  • Cave Large natural hole in a hillside or underground
  • Cliff Stone wall, made by no one, too steep to walk up
  • Cloud It drifts across the sky and may turn dark before a shower
  • Dawn When the birds start singing
  • Dew It wets your shoes on the lawn before the day warms up
  • Dusk When bats come out and fireflies start to blink
  • Fog Morning whiteness that makes the far trees disappear
  • Fossil Ancient shell or bone that has turned to stone
  • Frost Icy lace on a windowpane
  • Moon It circles Earth and shines at night
  • Rain Water falling in drops
  • Rainbow Red is its outer band and purple its inner one
  • Rock Flip one over and bugs scurry away
  • Sand Loose grains that pour through your fingers
  • Season Fall is the one when leaves change color
  • Shadow It is long at sunset and short at noon
  • Snow It shows every animal's footprints
  • Soil Worms, roots and seeds live in it
  • Star One of the many points of light on a clear, dark night
  • Storm Spell of wild weather
  • Sun It rises in the east and warms the day
  • Thunder Boom from the sky that sends you indoors
  • Valley Low ground with high ground on both sides
  • Wind It shakes the branches and carries seeds away

On a Nature Walk 21

  • Backpack It carries your lunch and leaves your hands free
  • Binoculars Hold them to your eyes to bring a far-off bird close
  • Boots Sturdy footwear for rough ground
  • Camp Sleep outside in a tent
  • Compass Round case with a letter N on its dial
  • Explore Go off to see what is around the next bend
  • Guide Person or book that shows the way
  • Hike Walk for miles with a pack on your back
  • Journal Notebook for sketches and notes about what you see
  • Listen Stand still, close your eyes and count the bird songs
  • Litter Trash left on the ground
  • Magnifier Lens that makes small things look bigger
  • Map It shows where the trails and streams are
  • Observe Look long and carefully, as a scientist does
  • Park Land set aside for people to enjoy the open air
  • Path Narrow way worn by walking feet
  • Quiet How to walk if you hope to see wild animals
  • Ranger Person in uniform who protects a wild place and answers visitors' questions
  • Shelter Place that gives cover from weather
  • Sketch Fast pencil picture made on the spot
  • Trail Follow the painted blazes on the trees to stay on it

How this list was compiled: Clues written for this site for children in grades 1 to 5, in seven sets: the woods, pond and stream, meadow and wildflowers, wildlife, bugs, sky and ground, and words for a nature walk. Facts about plants and animals were checked against English Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0), and each answer in Wiktionary and the American Heritage Dictionary, in October 2026. The animals are North American. No clue was copied from a published puzzle. Licence: own work

How it works

These printable crossword puzzles for kids about nature are clued by what a child sees and hears outdoors: a Frog is a smooth-skinned jumper that croaks. The first puzzle has 12 easy words such as Nest, River and Trail.

Read the full guide

Seven places to look

In the Woods has Acorn, Moss and Lichen. Pond and Stream has Tadpole, Heron and Cattail. Meadow and Wildflowers has Clover, Thistle and Milkweed. Wildlife has Fawn, Raccoon and Porcupine. Bugs and Small Creatures has Firefly, Cicada and Chrysalis. Sky, Weather and Ground has Dew, Dusk and Fossil. On a Nature Walk has Compass, Binoculars and Ranger.

Before or after a nature walk

Print the set that matches where you are going. Children solve it on the way, then circle what they found: a Feather, a Web, Tracks. The animals are North American, such as Chipmunk, Coyote and Robin.

Questions and answers

Are the nature crossword puzzles for kids free to print?

Yes, with no sign-up and no limit on copies. The sheets fit Letter or A4, and the answer key prints last on a sheet of its own.

What age are the nature crosswords for?

Easy Nature Words suits grades 1 and 2. The seven themed sets suit grades 3 to 5, with words such as Nocturnal and Camouflage. These bands are our judgment, not a published standard.

Is there a harder nature crossword for older kids?

Yes. The biome crossword has Tundra, Taiga and Permafrost and was written for grades 4 to 8.

More tools

Show 7 more

Browse Puzzles