Nativity Word Search in Large Print
BETHLEHEM, MANGER, SHEPHERDS — the Christmas story told in four puzzles, printed large enough for every pew.
4 puzzles · 70 words · 12 × 12 to 18 × 18 grids · Free to print and photocopy, with every answer key included as page two of its PDF.
Puzzle 1
Peek at the answer key
Puzzle 2 — a fresh word list
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Puzzle 3 — Gentler 12×12 grid
Peek at the answer key
Puzzle 4 — Tougher 18×18 grid
Peek at the answer key
Make one with your own words. Grandchildren's names, this week's menu, the streets of a hometown: the free word search maker prints them in the same big letters, with an answer key.
More large print word searches
Christmas Word Search in Large Print
Christmas Carol Word Search in Large Print
Large Print Bible Word Search
Large Print Hymns Word Search
12 Days of Christmas Word Search in Large Print
Christmas Word Search for Adults in Large Print
Giant Word Search — Big Grid, Big Letters
Free Printable Word Searches for Adults in Large Print
The Christmas story, in two puzzles
The nativity as most people picture it is really two accounts put together. Luke’s gospel has the census, the journey from NAZARETH, the manger, and the angel appearing to shepherds in the fields. Matthew’s has the star and the wise men from the east with their GOLD, FRANKINCENSE and MYRRH. A nativity scene sets them side by side, and so do these word lists.
The first puzzle is the scene itself — the figures you would set out on a mantelpiece. The second follows the story around it, from the prophecy and ADVENT through to EPIPHANY, when the church remembers the visit of the magi.
For Sunday schools, church groups and care-home chaplaincy
These are written for groups that want the religious heart of Christmas rather than the reindeer. They pair naturally with the Bible word search and the hymns word search, and with the carol puzzles if you are building a set for a carol service or a Christmas tea.
Print at 100% scale so the letters stay large, one page per puzzle, with the answer key on page two of the PDF. Photocopy as many as the group needs.
Planning puzzles for a care home or senior center? The memory care activities page lays the whole year out as a printable monthly calendar, and activities for nursing home residents covers what works for a mixed group.
Which size should you print?
Every puzzle on this page fills one US Letter sheet. What changes is how many letters share it — fewer letters means each one prints larger. The gentler grid is the one to reach for if reading the page is the hard part; the tougher grid is for solvers who want a long hunt and find the standard size too quick.
Want a whole page at one size instead? The extra large print puzzles use 10×10 grids with our biggest letters, the jumbo and easy pages use 12×12, and the giant and hard pages pack 22–24 words into an 18×18 grid.
Frequently asked questions
How do I print these nativity word searches?
Click "Download PDF" under any puzzle for a print-ready US Letter file (the answer key is included as page two), or click "Print" to send it straight to your printer. Both print well on A4 too. Print at 100% scale — avoid "fit to page", which can shrink the grid.
How large is the print in these puzzles?
Each 15 × 15 grid fills a full US Letter page, so the letters print in about 20-point type, about three-sixteenths of an inch tall. That is bigger than the 16- to 18-point type used in large-print books. This page also has a 12×12 grid at about 27-point and an 18×18 grid at about 14-point. Everything uses the Atkinson Hyperlegible typeface, designed by the Braille Institute for low-vision readers.
How hard are these puzzles?
Words run across, down and diagonally, but never backwards. There are 70 words to find across 4 puzzles, and every answer key is free with the PDFs.
Can I photocopy these puzzles for a group?
Yes — print and photocopy them freely for your family, classroom, library, activity group or care home. That is exactly what they are for.
Is this a Christian Christmas word search?
Yes. Both word lists come from the nativity story in the gospels of Luke and Matthew — Bethlehem, the shepherds, the wise men — with no Santa or reindeer. For the wider holiday, see the Christmas word search.
Can I use these in Sunday school or a church bulletin?
Yes, freely. Print and photocopy them for any church, school or care-home group; every PDF includes its answer key.