National Crossword Puzzle Day

Follow the instructions below to learn how to make your own crossword puzzle for National Crossword Puzzle Day on December 21st! 

Step 1: Think of a theme like a holiday, types of food, places in the world, or characters from your favorite show or movie!

Step 2: Make a list of words that fit your theme. Use however many you want for a big or small crossword puzzle.

Step 3: Arrange your words! Each word only needs one letter in common with the next to combine them. See the example on the handout.

Step 4: Draw boxes around the letters with a thick black marker.

Step 5: Put another piece of paper on top of the crossword puzzle and trace only the boxes (Hint: keep the original paper as an answer key).

Step 6: Add numbers to the start of each word.

Step 7: Think of clues for your words. See the examples on the handout.

Step 8: Have someone try to solve your crossword puzzle!