How to Make a Word Search Puzzle
Word search games or puzzles are a great way of whiling away leisure. It is also considered as an effective trigger to creative thinking and also enhances vocabulary at the same time. This is why word search puzzles are a favorite among teachers who find it extremely helpful for improving a child’s knowledge in English and also helps him to think structurally and in an organized manner. These days word search puzzles can be created at home on your personal computer also! This article will make us understand the method of creating word search puzzles in your computer all by yourself. Have a look at the guide given below to know about it further:
- You shall have to begin by listing all the words together. The easiest way of choosing words is to create a theme for your word search puzzle. Some of the most popular ones are nature, animals, places or famous personalities. Make sure that you list down at least 10 or 20 words pertaining to the theme of the word search. You can also use the notepad application in your PC to list the words down.
- Let us now get started with the making of the word search puzzle. Begin by opening Microsoft word and then open a new page. On this blank page you will have to type in the theme of the puzzle. Remember that the theme of the word search should be typed in bold fonts and in the center of the screen.
- Now we have to focus on creating the body of the word search puzzle. You will have to move down the page a bit and for doing so, hit the “enter” button a few times after the theme. Now type in a letter there. However it really doesn’t matter what letter you use because here you shall be using it to highlight it and change its font to Courier new and with a size of 18.
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Here you have an option of whether to place your first word in the top line or not. You can also decide whether to place it horizontally or vertically. Make sure that you are leaving some space between two respective letters in the word search puzzle. It is suggested here that you go for typing in 22 letters across. - When you reach the next line you will have to keep in mind about the words that you have mentioned in the top line. It is recommended here that when you begin to start writing out the letters in a word search puzzle, you should do it in horizontal and vertical directions. After you have had a bit of practice in creating word search puzzles yourself, you can make them in diagonal also.
- In every word search puzzle, the decision to place a particular new word is entirely the decision of the maker. You can take random decisions while placing the new words. You shall just have to pick a particular spot in the puzzle and then make your way up with the letters if is a vertically arranged word. For you to place all the listed words in the word search puzzle; there are 14 lines. This number needs to be kept in mind as you can always go back and rearrange the letters.
- After this is complete, you can list all the words to be searched at the bottom of the page. Now you shall have to format the word search puzzle by centering its alignment in the page. You can do so by right clicking in front of the theme and select the entire puzzle. Now notice the tool bar above and go to the “paragraph” section there. Now you will find two rows. Make sure that you click on the second box in the second row for centering the text. This will make your word search puzzle look like a list of vertical lines.
- Your word search puzzle is ready to play with. You can either print it or save it in the hard disk of your computer.
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