Spring Break Word Search for Kids Going Away or Staying Home
Print a spring break word search and its answer key, with lists for going away, staying home and day trips.
Name Date
Spring Break Word Search
Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.
0 of 16 words found
OPLAYGROUNDNWGO
IBLZBOCOUSINSUT
HETEYSZSGCLUPIS
BAGIPUZZLEGORKO
OCAMPINGPCNSIIX
RHEUOTEXAIGNNMO
YTYSHCAIJPARGIO
HUNEPANCAKESNCI
HAAUUSPNMMBSHFC
TBAMDEICAIRPORT
AWSLDFCRSZEGOIC
DLIQLYNAPGADDDT
WGZRELIEOCKIIAO
QPRISNCJSMXEEYH
TEDKUSIRRCNVEUZ
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.
SUITCASE
AIRPORT
CAMPING
COUSINS
BEACH
PAJAMAS
PUZZLE
PICNIC
PLAYGROUND
PANCAKES
MUSEUM
PUDDLES
HOODIE
FRIDAY
SPRING
BREAK
16 of 24 words from the Spring Break Favorites list.
Tap or click the first letter of a word, then its last letter. Or drag across the word. On a touch screen, hold the first letter for a moment before you drag. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move, Enter marks the first and the last letter, and Escape clears a first letter.
AirportWhere planes take off and land. A flying family's week begins here, in the line for security.
AtlasA book of maps, handy on a drive where the phone has no signal.
BeachA sandy or pebbly shore. Families from cold states often head south to find a warm one.
CabinA small wooden house in the woods or beside a lake, rented for a few quiet days.
CampingSleeping outdoors in a tent. Spring nights are still cold, so bring an extra layer.
CousinsThe children of your aunts and uncles. A week with no school is a chance to stay with them.
DetourA longer way around when the usual road is closed.
FloridaIn the mid-1930s a college swim team came to this state to train in a new Fort Lauderdale pool, and other teams followed each spring.
GrandparentsYour mother's and father's parents. Many a spring break is spent at their house.
HighwayA wide main road between towns, where a long family drive spends most of its hours.
MilesWhat a long drive is counted in. How many more is the back seat's favorite question.
Show all 100 words (89 more)
Going Away, continued
MinivanA family car with three rows of seats and sliding doors, built for long drives with everyone aboard.
MotelA roadside place to sleep, with parking outside each door. The name was coined in California in the 1920s from motor and hotel.
MountainsHigh, steep land. Snow can lie on the peaks long after the valleys have turned green.
PostcardA picture on one side, a message and a stamp on the other, mailed with no envelope from the place you are visiting.
SkiingSliding down a snowy slope on two long boards. Spring snow is soft, and the days are long and bright.
SnacksSmall bites between meals, packed for the back seat before a long drive.
SouvenirA small thing kept to remember a place. The word is borrowed from French, where it means memory.
SuitcaseA case with a handle, and often wheels, that carries your clothes on a journey.
TrafficAll the cars and trucks on a road at once. Leaving early on the first morning is one way to beat it.
VacationTime away from school or work for rest or travel. In the United States the spring one usually lasts a week or two.
WindowThe seat most children ask for, in a car or on a plane.
Staying Home 22
BakingCooking with dry heat in an oven: bread, muffins, cookies. A good job for a day indoors.
BicycleTwo wheels, two pedals and a chain. Pump up the tires after a winter in the garage.
BlanketA warm cover for a bed, a sofa or the roof of a living room hideout.
BoredomThe feeling of having nothing to do. It tends to turn up midweek, just before a good idea.
CartoonsDrawn, animated shows, watched on a slow morning with a bowl of cereal.
ChalkA soft colored stick for drawing on the sidewalk. The next rain washes the art away.
CheckersA game for two on a board of 64 squares. A piece that reaches the far row is crowned a king.
ChoresSmall jobs around the house, such as feeding the dog or emptying the dishwasher. They do not take the week off.
CouchA long soft seat for the living room, and the best place in the house for a nap.
DominoesTiles marked with dots called pips. A standard double-six set has 28 of them.
FortA hideout built from sofa cushions, chairs and sheets.
KiteA light frame covered in paper or cloth, flown on a long string in a steady wind.
LazyHappy to do nothing much. One morning like this is what the week is for.
LibraryA building full of books to borrow for free. Stock up on the first day of the break.
MoviesStories on a screen. A rainy afternoon of the break has room for two in a row.
PajamasClothes for sleeping in. On a day with no school you can wear them until lunch.
PancakesFlat round cakes fried on a griddle and stacked with syrup: breakfast for a morning with nowhere to be.
PicnicA meal carried outdoors and eaten on the grass, even if only as far as the back steps.
PlaygroundSwings, slides and climbing bars. With school out, the neighborhood one fills up by mid-morning.
PuzzleA picture cut into pieces that lock back together. A 500-piece one can last the whole week.
StaycationA holiday spent at or close to home, seeing your own town the way a visitor would. The name blends stay and vacation.
YawnA wide-open mouth and a deep breath. You do it at 7 on a school morning, and not at 9 on a day off.
Day Trips 20
AquariumA building of glass tanks where fish, rays and jellyfish swim past at eye level.
BookstoreA shop that sells things to read: a rainy day outing that ends with something for the ride home.
DinosaurAn ancient reptile known from bones in rock. Richard Owen coined the name in 1842 from Greek words for terrible lizard.
ExhibitA display set out for visitors to look at in a gallery or a science center.
FarmLand for crops and animals. Spring is when lambs and calves are born, so a visit can mean babies in the barn.
FossilThe remains or the print of a living thing from long ago, preserved in rock.
GiraffeThe tallest living land animal. A full-grown one stands 14 to 19 feet high.
MatineeAn afternoon showing of a film or a play, often at a lower price. The word comes from the French for morning.
MuseumA building that keeps and shows rare, old or beautiful things, from paintings to the bones of ancient animals.
ParkA green public space with paths, benches and room to run.
PlanetariumA round hall with a domed ceiling on which the stars and planets of the night sky are projected.
PuttA gentle tap that rolls a golf ball toward the hole. Miniature golf is nothing but these.
RinkA sheet of ice or a smooth floor made for skaters.
SkatingGliding on ice or on wheels. An indoor hall for it is open whatever the weather does.
TelescopeA tube of lenses or mirrors that makes far things look near. Science centers often let visitors look through one.
TheaterA building with a stage or a screen and rows of seats facing it.
TouristSomeone who visits a place for fun. You can be one in your own town for a day.
TrailA marked path through woods or hills. In spring, expect soft ground.
TrampolineA sheet of strong fabric stretched on coiled steel, for bouncing high.
ZooA park that keeps animals from around the world for visitors to see. London's let the public in from 1847.
Spring Break Weather 18
BootsTall waterproof footwear for wet fields and standing water.
BreezeA light, gentle wind: enough to lift a kite, not enough to take your hat.
ClocksIn most of the United States they jump forward an hour on the second Sunday in March, so evenings stay light longer.
ForecastA prediction of the coming days' weather. Check it before choosing between an outdoor day and an indoor one.
FrostIce crystals on the grass after a freezing night. Northern states can still wake up to it in April.
GustyBlowing in sudden strong bursts: good for kites, hard on umbrellas.
HoodieA hooded pullover: warm enough for a March morning, easy to tie around your waist by noon.
JacketA short, light coat: the one to keep in the car all week.
LayersClothes worn one over another, so that you can peel one off as the day warms up.
MudWet, soft earth. Melting snow and spring rain make plenty of it.
PuddlesPools of rainwater on the ground, and the reason tall rubber footwear was invented.
ShortsPants that end above the knee. The first warm day of the year brings them out.
SlushHalf-melted snow, gray and wet: what is left at the curb in a northern March.
SneezeA sudden burst of air from the nose. Tree pollen sets off plenty of them in spring.
SunscreenA lotion that guards skin from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Skin that spent the winter under sleeves needs it.
SunshineBright light and warmth from a clear sky. After the March equinox the days hold more of it than the nights.
SweatshirtA thick, soft cotton pullover with long sleeves.
ThawWhen frozen ground, snow and ice soften and melt as the air warms.
Last Day Before Break 18
AlarmThe clock's wake-up sound. It gets the week off too.
AprilThe month of the breaks tied to Easter, which can come as late as the 25th.
BackpackA bag worn on both shoulders. On the last afternoon it goes home light, unless a reading log is inside.
BellIt rings at the end of the last lesson, and the week off begins.
BreakA pause from work or school. The one in March or April usually lasts a week or two.
BusThe yellow ride home. On the last afternoon it sounds louder than usual.
CalendarA chart of days and months. The school district's one shows the break as a row of empty boxes.
CountdownNumbers said backward toward a moment you are waiting for: five days, four, three, two, one.
DismissalThe moment at the end of the school day when pupils are let go.
EasterA holiday that falls between March 22 and April 25. Some school districts set their break beside it.
FridayFor most classes, the last school day before the week off. This puzzle suits its final half hour.
HomeworkSchool tasks done at the kitchen table. Some teachers set none over the break, and some set a reading log.
MarchThe month when many schools take their break. The equinox that starts astronomical spring falls on its 19th, 20th or 21st.
NineThe days off in a row when a Monday to Friday break joins the weekend on each side.
PlansWhat everyone compares on the last afternoon: who is going away and who is staying home.
SaturdayThe first morning of the break, when the trips begin and the wake-up buzzer stays quiet.
SpringThe season between winter and summer. In the northern half of the world it begins at the March equinox.
WeekSeven days. Spring break usually lasts one of these, and sometimes two.
How this list was compiled: 100 words about the week off school in March or April, chosen and defined for this site, in five themed lists (going away, staying home, day trips, the weather that week and what to wear in it, and the last school day before the break) plus three cross-cutting lists: 24 favorites that open the page, the 32 short words of 3 to 5 letters and the 28 long words of 8 to 12 letters. Every entry is a single word of 3 to 12 letters with no spaces, hyphens or apostrophes, so every list fits a 12 by 12 grid or larger. No clue contains its own word, because the clue replaces the word in clue mode. No brand, team, character or product name is included, and no living person; the one person named, Richard Owen, died in 1892. The list is about a family week, so it leaves out the college party side of the subject altogether. The plan's two-word samples (road trip, board games, bike ride, rain boots, sidewalk chalk, sleep in) are carried by single words: Highway, Miles and Detour; Checkers and Dominoes; Bicycle; Boots; Chalk; Yawn, Lazy and Alarm. Flip-flops is left out because its dictionary form is hyphenated. Definitions are our own wording for readers of about 7 to 12. Facts with a date, a place, a person or a number in them were checked on 2026-09-20 against: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_break (a one-to-two-week vacation, usually in March or April; K-12 dates depend on term dates and on when Easter falls; a Colgate University swimming coach in the mid-1930s took his team to train at a new Olympic-size pool in Fort Lauderdale, and the trip became a yearly tradition for college swimmers), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States (since 2007 clocks go forward at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March; Hawaii and most of Arizona do not change, which is why the clue says most of the United States), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_of_Easter (Easter Sunday falls in the range March 22 to April 25), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_equinox (March 19, 20 or 21; taken as the start of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere; day and night almost equal), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motel (coined as a portmanteau of motor hotel for the Milestone Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California, built in 1925; the article gives both 1925 and 1926, so the clue says the 1920s; rooms entered from the parking area), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo (London's zoo opened in 1828 for scientific study and admitted the public in 1847), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur (Sir Richard Owen coined the name in 1842 from Greek deinos, terrible, and sauros, lizard), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkers (American checkers: an 8 by 8 board of sixty-four squares; a man that reaches the farthest row is crowned and becomes a king), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominoes (a double-six set has 28 tiles; the spots are called pips), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe (the tallest living terrestrial animal; fully grown 4.3 to 5.7 m, 14 to 19 ft) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetarium (a theatre for shows about the night sky, with a large dome-shaped projection screen). Merriam-Webster refuses automated requests, so the spellings that could have been two words, hyphenated or accented were checked on Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/) on 2026-09-20: Staycation (a blend of stay and vacation), Souvenir (borrowed from French, literally memory), Matinee (main headword; from French matinée), Hoodie, Minivan, Bookstore and Sunscreen are main one-word headwords there. Licence: own work
How it works
A spring break word search for the last school day before the week off. It opens on 16 of 24 favorites, Suitcase, Pajamas and Puddles among them, and New puzzle picks 16 again. Seven more lists reach all 100 words.
Read the full guide
Going away or staying home: pick the list
Only 22 of the 100 words are about Going Away (Motel, Detour, Souvenir). Staying Home has 22 of its own, from Fort and Pancakes to Staycation, and Day Trips has 20, so a child who is not traveling still finds their week in the grid. Spring Break Weather (18) and Last Day Before Break (18) suit everyone. Pick a list and the title on the sheet changes with it.
Two pages, Letter or A4
As a spring break word search free printable it is 2 pages, Letter or A4: the grid, the word list and a Name and Date line, then the answer key. Sending it home for the week? Untick Name and date line on paper in More options first.
Pick Show clues, not words: the seat most children ask for, in a car or on a plane, is Window.
Type your class's own destinations over words in the list under the grid. The grid rebuilds as you type.
On the Monday back, print a fresh grid and have pupils circle only the words for things they did.
Questions and answers
When is spring break?
It depends on the school district. In the United States it is usually a week, sometimes two, in March or April, and some districts set it beside Easter, which moves between March 22 and April 25. Check your district's calendar for the exact dates.
Is there an easy version for kindergarten and a hard one for fifth grade?
Easy Spring Break holds the 32 words of 3 to 5 letters (Zoo, Kite, Mud): set 10 by 10 and Large print. Hard Spring Break has 28 words of 8 to 12 letters, Grandparents the longest: press Hard and set 20 by 20.
Is this about the college spring break?
No. It is a family and classroom list: trips, days at home, weather and the last school day. The one nod to the older tradition is Florida, where a college swim team's training trip in the mid-1930s started the yearly migration.