Crossword puzzles for kids
Small 5x5 crosswords with short, plain clues. Play one on a screen, print one, or solve it together. Everything here is free and needs no signup.
MINI: daily 5x5 crossword
MINI is a new 5x5 crossword each day. Monday to Wednesday use common words and plain clues, and take about three minutes.
Play MINIWhich of our crosswords suit kids
| Puzzle | What it is | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| MINI, Monday to Wednesday | The daily 5x5 crossword. These three days use common words and plain clues. | A first crossword. About three minutes. |
| Printable minis | 30 5x5 puzzles to print as PDFs, with answers at the back. You can also play them on screen. | A pencil, a car trip, a classroom or a quiet half hour. |
| 25 Days of Minis | An advent calendar of 25 small Christmas crosswords. One opens a day from December 1 to 25. | A daily December habit to do together. |
| Crossword Saga | A map of 70 more mini levels, with stars you earn along the way. | A child who has finished a few and wants more. |
MINI gets harder from Thursday to Sunday, with less common words and trickier clues. Those are better saved for later, or for an adult to try. Every past puzzle is in the archive, so you can pick an early-week one on any day.
What a child needs
- To read a short clue, usually two to four words.
- To spell a word of three to five letters.
- A little patience. A mini has only a handful of clues.
A younger child who cannot yet do all three can still help. Let them find the squares, count letters or type the answer you work out together.
How to help, with a real puzzle
Here is how the first printable puzzle goes. The grid has five rows. Its first across clue is "Road guide", with three squares. The answer is MAP.
- Start with the shortest answer. Read "Road guide" aloud and count the three squares. MAP fits.
- Follow a letter down. The M of MAP also starts 1-Down, "Back tooth", which has five squares. A child who knows the word MOLAR can fill it in, and the next letter, O, drops into "Skin openings" (PORES) as its second letter.
- Check the crossing. "Stadium" is ARENA, and its A sits in the same square as the A of MAP. Letters that agree are a sign you are on the right track.
- Finish with the easy ones. "Beam of sunlight" is RAY. "Tall and thin" is LANKY.
When they are stuck
- Say the clue another way. "Cheerful and bouncy" is a describing word, so the answer describes someone.
- Look at the letters already there. Two or three known letters often make the word obvious.
- Use hints last. In MINI, Check marks wrong letters and Reveal fills in a letter, a word or the whole puzzle. A revealed letter costs a star, so try without first.
More habits are in our mini crossword tips, and the clue types guide explains common clue patterns with real examples.
Printing
The printable mini crosswords page has 30 puzzles in packs of six, each pack with an answer page, or all of them in one PDF. The printable PDFs are those puzzles only. The daily MINI and the advent puzzles are played on the screen.
Clue source for the printable puzzles: Princeton WordNet
If crosswords are not their thing
Try a kids word search, a 5x5 nonogram, or browse more puzzles for kids.
Keep going
Questions
What is a good first crossword for a child?
A Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday MINI. They use common words and plain clues on a 5x5 grid, and each answer is 3 to 5 letters long. The printable mini crosswords are also easy, and a child can fill them in with a pencil.
Are there easy crossword puzzles for kids to print?
Yes. There are 30 free 5x5 puzzles you can print as PDFs, in packs of six or all at once. Each PDF has the answers at the back.
What age are crosswords good for?
Reading level matters more than age. A child who can read a short clue like "Road guide" and spell a three-letter word can try a mini. Younger children can work on one together with an adult.
How do I help a child with a crossword?
Start with the shortest answer and read the clue aloud. Count the squares together. Then use a letter from a word they have already filled in, because it also belongs to a crossing word. Use hints only after they have tried.
What kind of clues are they?
Short definitions of everyday words and things. The daily MINI clues are about words and things rather than people, brands or trivia, and the printable puzzles use clues adapted from Princeton WordNet definitions. There is no chat, no account and no ads in the grid.
Is there a Christmas crossword for kids?
Yes. 25 Days of Minis is an advent calendar of 25 small holiday crosswords. One opens each day from December 1 to December 25, with themes such as snowman building and cocoa break.
Do kids need to sign up?
No. Open the puzzle and play. It is free and runs on a phone, tablet or computer.