Summer Word Search for Kids

A printable summer word search for camp tables and back seats: press New puzzle, then Print or save as PDF.

Name Date

Summer Word Search

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

0 of 16 words found

MSSUMMERNRDGTSC

MEUXOARURNSRMLA

NBNPNMOJSETWJOM

ESFIREWORKSAUBP

MLLCOCEANSICLAI

OTONICKABIPTYSN

XRWIBHRTPVONIEG

KAECESLHMAOJBBT

NHRRABICYCLEGAC

NFYUCRLYEATRSLA

SEASHELLXTEGRLE

NKEESWIMMINGRED

RTHIAPTBOOTOERD

ETGYGARDENNIFAO

CAEMNNRZSCFXCCR

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.

BeachBEACH
OceanOCEAN
SeashellSEASHELL
SummerSUMMER
PicnicPICNIC
CampingCAMPING
TentTENT
VacationVACATION
PoolPOOL
SwimmingSWIMMING
BaseballBASEBALL
BicycleBICYCLE
SunflowerSUNFLOWER
GardenGARDEN
JulyJULY
FireworksFIREWORKS

16 of 24 words from the Summer Favorites list.

Start from a list

Easy: words go across and down.

More options

Show clues, not words

Word list

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

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Summer Word Search

MSSUMMERNRDGTSC

MEUXOARURNSRMLA

NBNPNMOJSETWJOM

ESFIREWORKSAUBP

MLLCOCEANSICLAI

OTONICKABIPTYSN

XRWIBHRTPVONIEG

KAECESLHMAOJBBT

NHRRABICYCLEGAC

NFYUCRLYEATRSLA

SEASHELLXTEGRLE

NKEESWIMMINGRED

RTHIAPTBOOTOERD

ETGYGARDENNIFAO

CAEMNNRZSCFXCCR

BEACH, OCEAN, SEASHELL, SUMMER, PICNIC, CAMPING, TENT, VACATION, POOL, SWIMMING, BASEBALL, BICYCLE, SUNFLOWER, GARDEN, JULY, FIREWORKS

Next step Print the Crab to the Sandcastle maze Make a puzzle from your own vacation words

All 142 words

Beach and Ocean 24

Beach The sandy or pebbly strip of land at the edge of the sea.
Coast Where the land meets the sea.
Crab A shore animal in a thick shell with claws. Many kinds can run swiftly sideways.
Dune A hill of sand piled up by the wind.
Island Land with water all around it.
Jellyfish A soft sea animal with stinging tentacles and no true brain. Its kind has drifted in the seas for at least 500 million years.
Lifeguard A trained swimmer who watches over a beach or a pool.
Ocean The vast body of salt water between the continents.
Pail A small bucket for carrying sand and water.
Sailboat A boat pushed along by the wind.
Sandals Open shoes held on with straps.
Sandcastle A fort shaped from wet sand with a pail and a spade. The tide takes it in the end.
Seagull A noisy gray and white bird of the shore that will steal your lunch.
Seashell The hard, empty home of a sea animal, washed up on the shore.
Snorkel A breathing tube that lets you float face down and watch the fish.

Show all 142 words (127 more)

Beach and Ocean, continued

Starfish A sea animal that usually has five arms. Most kinds can grow back an arm they lose.
Sunburn Red, sore skin from too much ultraviolet light.
Sunglasses Dark lenses that shield your eyes from bright light.
Sunscreen Lotion that helps protect skin from sunburn. The SPF on the bottle stands for sun protection factor.
Surfboard A long, narrow plank for riding waves standing up.
Swimsuit What you wear in the water.
Tide The rise and fall of the sea, caused mainly by the pull of the Moon and the Sun. Most shores get two high ones a day.
Towel You dry off with it, or lie on it.
Waves They roll in and break on the shore, and surfers ride them.

Summer Weather and Sky 20

August The last full month of summer in the north.
Breeze A light, cooling wind.
Drought A long stretch with too little rain.
Heat What a July afternoon has plenty of.
Humid A word for air full of water vapor. Sweat dries slowly in it, so you feel even warmer.
Hurricane A huge spinning ocean storm. The Atlantic season for them runs from June 1 to November 30.
June The month when summer begins in the north.
Lightning A giant electric spark in the sky. It heats the air around it to about 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meteor The streak of light made when a bit of space rock, sometimes as small as a grain of sand, enters the air.
Muggy Warm and damp at once.
Perseids A meteor shower that peaks around August 12, with 60 or more streaks of light an hour. It comes from the dust of a comet.
Scorching So hot it feels as if it could burn.
Shade A cool spot out of direct sunlight.
Sirius The Dog Star. The hottest stretch of summer is called the dog days after it, though it has no effect on our weather.
Solstice The longest day of the year in the north. It falls between June 20 and 22.
Summer The warmest season: June to August in the north, December to February in the south.
Sunshine Bright, warm light on a clear day.
Sweat Water your skin gives off to cool you down.
Thunderstorm A storm with lightning. The boom is the sound of air that was heated in a flash and burst outward.
Ultraviolet Light that people cannot see. It is part of sunlight and causes tans and sunburn.

Summer Food 20

Barbecue Food cooked outdoors over a fire. The word came through Spanish from the Taino people of the Caribbean.
Blueberry A small, round, dark fruit that grows on bushes and stains your fingers.
Cherry A small, round red fruit on a long stem.
Cone A crisp wafer holder for ice cream.
Cooler An insulated box that keeps drinks and food cold.
Corn Eaten on the cob with butter.
Grill A metal rack above hot coals or a gas flame.
Hamburger A grilled patty in a bun. The name comes from Hamburg, a city in Germany.
Lemonade A cold drink of lemon juice, water and sugar, sold at sidewalk stands.
Peach A fuzzy fruit with a hard pit in the middle.
Picnic A meal packed up and eaten outdoors, often on a blanket.
Pineapple A spiky tropical fruit with sweet yellow flesh.
Scoop One round serving of ice cream.
Smoothie Fruit blended with ice or yogurt into a thick drink.
Sprinkles Tiny candy bits shaken over ice cream.
Strawberry A red fruit that is not a true berry. Each speck on the outside is a tiny fruit with a seed inside.
Sundae Ice cream with sauce and toppings.
Tomato A red garden fruit that cooks treat as a vegetable. The word comes from tomatl in Nahuatl, the Aztec language.
Watermelon A fruit that is 91 percent water. Botanists count it as a kind of berry.
Zucchini A summer squash picked young, while the rind is still soft. Its Italian name means little squash.

Camping and Outdoors 22

Backpack A bag worn on both shoulders.
Binoculars Two small telescopes joined side by side, for watching birds.
Cabin A small wooden house in the woods or by a lake.
Campfire Burning logs in a ring of stones, for warmth, cooking and stories.
Camping Sleeping outdoors, away from home, for fun.
Canoe A light, open boat with pointed ends.
Compass A tool whose needle points north.
Creek A small stream, good for wading.
Fishing Waiting for a bite with a rod, a line and a hook.
Flashlight A battery light you carry in your hand.
Hammock A sling of fabric or rope hung between two trees. The word came through Spanish from the Taino people.
Kayak A narrow boat moved with a double-bladed paddle. Arctic peoples such as the Inuit built the first ones from skins on a frame.
Lake A large body of fresh water with land all around.
Marshmallow A soft, puffy candy toasted on a stick until golden.
Mountain Land that rises far higher than a hill.
Paddle A pole with a flat blade for moving a small boat.
Ranger A person who looks after a park or a forest and helps its visitors.
Stargazing Looking up at the night sky. It is best far from city lights.
Tent A cloth shelter held up by poles and pegged to the ground.
Trail A marked path through woods or hills.
Waterfall A river dropping over a cliff.
Wilderness Wild land where no one lives.

Vacation and Summer Fun 23

Airplane It flies you to faraway places.
Balloon Fill one with water for a splashy game of catch.
Baseball The summer game of bats, bases and nine innings.
Bicycle Two wheels, two pedals and a chain.
Boardwalk A wooden walkway along a beach, often lined with shops and rides.
Bubbles Blow them through a wand and chase them across the yard.
Camera It takes the pictures you bring home.
Carnival A traveling show with rides, games and treats.
Chalk Soft sticks for drawing on the sidewalk.
Cruise A trip on a big ship that stops at several ports.
Diving Going into the water head first.
Hopscotch Toss a marker, then hop through numbered spaces drawn on the ground.
Passport The small book you need to travel to another country.
Pool A big tank of water built for a cool dip.
Postcard A picture card mailed without an envelope from somewhere you visit.
Skateboard A short deck on four small wheels.
Souvenir Something you bring home to remember a trip.
Splash The sound and spray of a cannonball jump.
Sprinkler It waters the lawn, and kids love to run through it.
Suitcase A case with a handle for carrying clothes on a trip.
Swimming Moving through water with your arms and legs.
Tourist A person visiting a place for fun.
Vacation Time off from school or work, often spent away from home.

Bugs and Garden 18

Beetle An insect with hard wing covers. Fireflies and ladybugs both belong to this group.
Cicada An insect whose males sing loudly from the trees. Some kinds come out of the ground only every 13 or 17 years.
Cricket A chirping insect of warm nights.
Dragonfly A fast insect with two pairs of wings that eats mosquitoes. It spends most of its life underwater as a nymph.
Firefly A beetle that flashes a cold light, mainly to find a mate. Also called a lightning bug.
Frog It croaks from the pond on warm nights.
Garden A plot where flowers and vegetables grow.
Hose A long tube for watering plants.
Hummingbird A tiny bird named for the sound of its wings. It can hover in place to sip nectar.
Ladybug A small beetle, often red with black spots, that eats aphids. Its bright colors are a warning to predators.
Lavender A purple flower with a calm, sweet smell.
Mosquito A biting insect. In many kinds only the female drinks blood, and the males sip sugary plant juices.
Moth A night-flying cousin of the butterfly, drawn to porch lights.
Mower A machine that cuts grass.
Nectar The sweet liquid inside flowers.
Porch Where you sit on a warm evening with a cold drink.
Sunflower A plant about 10 feet tall. Young ones face east at dawn and turn west through the day.
Weeds Plants growing where the gardener does not want them.

July 15

Aphelion The point where Earth is farthest from the Sun. It comes in early July, during northern summer.
Apollo The space program that landed the first people on the Moon, on July 20, 1969.
Bastille The Paris fortress stormed on July 14, 1789. France keeps the date as its national day.
Canada Its national day is July 1. It marks the day in 1867 when its colonies united as one country.
Eagle The name of the lander that set two astronauts down on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
Fireworks Rockets that burst into colored sparks in the night sky on the Fourth of July.
Independence The United States declared it on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia.
Julius The clan name of Gaius ___ Caesar, the Roman general the Senate named this month for in 44 BC.
July The seventh month, on average the warmest in most of the Northern Hemisphere. It is named for a Roman general.
Larkspur A tall spike of blue, purple or white flowers, the birth flower of July.
Parade A march down Main Street with bands and floats.
Quintilis The old Roman name for July. It means fifth, because that calendar began in March.
Ruby The July birthstone. Chromium makes it red, and its name comes from the Latin for red.
Seventh Where July comes in the order of the months.
Sparkler A handheld stick that throws off bright sparks.

How this list was compiled: 142 summer words with plain meanings written for this site: the beach and the ocean, summer weather and sky, food, camping, vacation fun, bugs and the garden, and a short July list. The facts in the clues were checked on 2026-09-18 against English Wikipedia, chiefly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_solstice, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthstone, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29. Corrected on 2026-09-20 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar: Julius was the general's clan name and Gaius his first name. Licence: own work

How it works

This free summer word search for kids hides 16 words, Beach, Tent and Sunflower among them, across and down in a 15 by 15 grid. Nine more lists, 142 words in all, cover beach, campsite, food and night sky.

Read the full guide

Pick a list by age or by trip

Ten lists sit under Start from a list, below the puzzle. Easy Summer is 38 short words such as Crab, Tent and Pool. For ages 5 to 7, open More options and tick Large print. Hard Summer is the biggest list, 62 words from Seashell to Thunderstorm. Six lists follow a theme: print Camping and Outdoors before a week at the lake, or Beach and Ocean before the coast.

A hard summer word search, or a large print one

For a hard sheet, pick Hard Summer and press Hard: Thunderstorm can run backwards. Large print, also there, suits young eyes and grandparents.

Tick Show clues, not words for a reading task: "A fruit that is 91 percent water" is Watermelon.
Each press of New puzzle builds a different summer word search puzzle, so brothers and sisters cannot copy each other.

Questions and answers

Is there a July word search?

Yes, on its own page. The July word search has 79 words, from Canada Day to the Moon landing. This page keeps a 15-word July list for a quick sheet, with Ruby, the birthstone, and Eagle, the lander that reached the Moon in 1969.

Are fireflies really flies?

No. A firefly is a beetle, and the light it flashes is cold. Other clues teach that most starfish can grow back a lost arm, that the Perseid meteors peak around August 12, and that young sunflowers face east at dawn.

Is Earth closer to the Sun in summer?

No, farther. Earth is farthest from the Sun in early July, during northern summertime. That point is called Aphelion, one of the 15 July words and one of the 62 Hard Summer words.

All 142 words

Beach and Ocean 24

Beach and Ocean, continued

Summer Weather and Sky 20

Summer Food 20

Camping and Outdoors 22

Vacation and Summer Fun 23

Bugs and Garden 18

July 15

How it works

Pick a list by age or by trip

A hard summer word search, or a large print one

Questions and answers

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