Vocabulary practice with a twist
A crossword makes children recall a word from its meaning and spell it exactly, letter by letter, to fit the squares.More puzzles
See the word search maker and, for pre-readers, the picture crossword in picture puzzles.CAPS links
- Grade 2Completes crosswords as one of the reading games that reinforce reading and vocabulary.
- Grade 3Uses a dictionary to find new words and their meanings, and spells common words correctly.
CAPS encourages a word wall and a personal dictionary for every child (in Grade 1, a small A5 exercise book). Those are good places to take crossword words from, because children already know the words and the clue only has to bring them back.
Crosswords work in an Afrikaans First Additional Language class too, from Grade 3. Use words from the current theme and write the clues in simple Afrikaans, or give a picture as the clue.
Summarised in our own words from the DBE’s CAPS for English Home Language, Foundation Phase, and Afrikaans Eerste Addisionele Taal (2011).
