Sharing a word search with someone you care for

Keep the session short and unfinished on purpose

You do not need to complete a page. Ten or fifteen quiet minutes is a full activity if the person is enjoying it. Leave the puzzle out so you can come back to the same grid later, or start a fresh one if a new page feels easier. There is no score and no clock on our puzzles. If you are using the free puzzle on this site, ignore the time of day and stop whenever you like.

If attention fades, or if the person seems tired, bored or upset, put the page aside. The aim is a pleasant stretch of time, not a finished list.

Sit side by side, not across a test

Sit at the same table, with the page between you, so you are looking at the same letters. A table lamp from the side often helps more than a ceiling light that throws a shine across the paper. Offer a pencil or a fingertip, whichever is more comfortable. Some people like to mark a found word; others prefer to look while you mark it.

Reading the word list aloud, one word at a time, turns the hunt into a conversation. You can say the word, spell it, or talk for a moment about it — a robin in the garden, a loaf from the bakery — and then look for it together. Everyday themes are there for that reason. The free puzzle and the extra-large-print pack use lists such as In the Garden, Kitchen Staples, Garden Birds, By the Sea, At the Bakery and Farm Animals.

Why our words only run across or down

Every Hartwell word search places words in a straight line, left to right or top to bottom. There are no diagonals and no backwards words. That keeps the path simple to follow with a finger, and it means you can describe where to look without a long explanation: “along this row” or “down this column.” The grids are 10×10, so the field stays small enough to take in at a glance.

If a word is hard to find, it is fine to point to the first letter, or to find it yourself and invite the person to trace it. Offering help is part of doing the page together. It is not cheating.

Print one page for a visit

A single printed page is easier to share than a tablet, and it leaves the other person with something they can keep. On the homepage, choose a theme, then use the Print button. In the print dialogue, set the scale to 100 percent / actual size and turn off “fit to page.” The printed grid uses 22-point letters so the puzzle and the word list fit a US Letter sheet. If you want still larger letters, the Extra Large Print Word Search printable is set at 30.0 point. See what large print means in our puzzles for the sizes and the print settings.

For a December visit, the Christmas pack has 45 holiday puzzles at 21-point type, one to a page. Print only the pages you plan to use.

For a group or a care setting

If you run an activity table, start with one shared page rather than a booklet each. Read the list together. Let people work at different speeds. The free puzzle on this site can be displayed on a large screen, or you can print several copies of the same grid so everyone is hunting the same words. You are welcome to print the free homepage puzzle for a group. The paid PDF packs are for your own household; please do not copy those files for a programme or resell them.

A clear limit

Puzzles can be good company. They are not a therapy plan. Nothing on this site is medical advice. If you have questions about vision, hearing, attention or memory, ask the person’s own clinician. Our job is to make a clear, large, straightforward word search and to tell you honestly how it is built.

Kenyan shilling amounts are rounded estimates at the Central Bank of Kenya mid-rate of 129.95 shillings to the US dollar, posted 11 November 2026. Gumroad charges in US dollars.