Easy NZ animals word search
Kiwi, tuatara, wētā and a frog in the stream: ten short animal words from Aotearoa in a ten by ten grid. Every word runs straight across or straight down, so new readers can find them on their own.
- Eel
- Frog
- Gecko
- Kiwi
- Possum
- Rabbit
- Seal
- Skink
- Tuatara
- Wētā
This is the same puzzle as on the printable sheet. Every word you find turns green and is crossed off the list.
Make your own versionNZ animals for young kids
Name
| O | P | O | S | S | U | M | O | R | I |
| B | G | E | C | K | O | I | E | M | K |
| T | O | T | O | I | U | H | K | O | T |
| Y | S | F | A | N | K | C | T | E | R |
| I | S | R | N | K | T | O | U | I | A |
| A | L | O | T | I | V | H | A | E | B |
| E | U | G | L | W | S | O | T | E | B |
| C | H | V | P | I | S | E | A | L | I |
| W | B | T | O | C | I | I | R | A | T |
| D | T | T | E | W | E | T | A | M | P |
Find these words
- Eel
- Frog
- Gecko
- Kiwi
- Possum
- Rabbit
- Seal
- Skink
- Tuatara
- Wētā
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Scan for the answer key
NZ animals for young kids
Give it a try: drag a line across the letters.
All words found!
About this word search
Kiwi and tuatara live in the wild only in Aotearoa, and our native geckos and skinks are found nowhere else in the world either. The wētā lives in holes in trees and in woodpiles, and eels hide under the banks of creeks all over the country. A few visitors are on the list too, such as the possum and the rabbit.
The grid is ten by ten and every word runs from left to right or from top to bottom. Tuatara is the longest with seven letters and has three A's, so it is a good one to look for first. Eel is the shortest with three letters. Wētā is written WETA in the grid, without the little lines over the letters.
When all ten are found, the child can pick a favourite and draw it in its home: the kiwi in the bush, the eel in the creek or the seal on the rocks. Say the names out loud together, tuatara is fun to say slowly.
Ways to use this word search
In the classroom
Print it as a task for early finishers, or to open a lesson on this topic. With the QR code on the sheet, students check their own answers.
At home and on the go
Pack a few printed sheets for the car, the ferry or the bach. A pen is all you need, no screen required.
Play together
Print the sheet twice and race each other. Whoever finds all the words first wins. Or play it online and see who is fastest.
Try it in Spanish too
The same theme also exists in Spanish, French, German and Italian, each with its own word list in that language. Handy if you are learning a language: you already know the topic, now just the words.
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