20 words are hidden in the letters, or ten short ones for a first try. Tap the first letter of a word, then its last letter.
The 20 words
slide swing sandbox seesaw climb jump run tag ball hopscotch bars tunnel bench recess friends rope ladder skip bounce field
Recess words such as slide, swing, seesaw, sandbox, hopscotch, tunnel, climb and jump. There are 20 words and 104 letters to find. The longest word is "hopscotch", at 9 letters. No word on the list uses Q, V, Y and Z.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | 2 | run tag |
| 4 letters | 5 | jump ball bars rope skip |
| 5 letters | 5 | slide swing climb bench field |
| 6 letters | 5 | seesaw tunnel recess ladder bounce |
| 7 letters | 2 | sandbox friends |
| 9 letters | 1 | hopscotch |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: slide, swing, climb, jump, run, tag, ball, bars, rope and skip. None has more than 5 letters. On a phone the full puzzle takes twelve of the 20, so the letters stay big enough to tap.
Hints for this puzzle
- Start with the longest words. Hopscotch, sandbox and friends take up the most room, so they are the easiest to spot.
- 5 words start with S. When you find an S, check it for slide, swing, sandbox, seesaw and skip.
- 4 words start with B. When you find a B, check it for ball, bars, bench and bounce.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: seesaw, ball, tunnel, recess and ladder.
Play it or print it
On the screen, tap the first letter of a word and then its last letter, and the word is crossed off the list. Easy hides words across and down, Medium adds corner to corner, and Hard adds backwards. Press Print for two pages, the puzzle and its answer key, and "New puzzle" for the same words in new places. The word search maker page explains how each grid is made and kept clean.
It suits indoor recess on a wet day or the evening before a trip to the park. Draw a map of your dream playground on the back and label it with as many of the words as will fit.
The same words on bingo cards and flash cards
The bingo card generator deals these words onto cards, each one a different mix, and the flash cards page prints them eight to a sheet.
More word searches
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Questions
What words are in the playground word search?
Slide, swing, sandbox, seesaw, climb, jump, run, tag, ball, hopscotch, bars, tunnel, bench, recess, friends, rope, ladder, skip, bounce and field.
Is there an easier playground word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with slide, swing, climb, jump, run, tag, ball, bars, rope and skip. On Easy, words only run across and down.
Can I print it with an answer key?
Yes. Press Print for two pages: the puzzle and its answer key. Each press of "New puzzle" makes a different sheet.
Is the playground word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.