Christmas word search

Pick a word list to start from: three for different ages, one for the Nativity and one for winter. Every word in the box can be changed, so swap in the names of the children in a class, the family at the table or the people in the office. Then choose the grid size and which ways the words run, and press Print. Each sheet prints with its own answer key on a second page.

Sheet number is the seed. The same words, settings and number always give the same grid, so you can print the same puzzle again next year, or give a whole class one sheet and check them all against a single key. Press New grid for a different arrangement of the same words.

Younger children do best with a small grid and words that only run across and down: a 10 × 10 grid with a dozen three- and four-letter words is plenty for ages 5 to 7. From about 8, add the diagonals and a bigger grid. Words that run backwards, and up as well as down, make the hardest puzzles, good for teenagers and for adults who want a proper search with their mince pie.

Longer words are easier to spot than short ones, oddly, because they cross more of the grid. If a list is too easy, add a few short words; if it's too hard, use a smaller grid with fewer words. A word too long for the grid is left out, and the page says which.