Story time · Ages 5-7
The Secret Word Grids


When Rome the cow arrived at the farm, she brought a wooden box full of letter tiles.
"In my language, a dog is cane," she said. "Can you find it in my grid?"
Spike and Suzy leaned in close. Rows and rows of letters stared back at them. Suzy's green eyes darted left and right. "There! C, A, N, E, going across!"
Next came Jakarta the cow with a grid of her own. "In Indonesia, we say anjing for dog," she said. Little Thunder found it hiding down the side, letter by letter, and stomped his hoof happily.
Then Helsinki the cow shuffled forward. "In Finnish, a dog is koira," she said quietly. This one was tricky. It ran diagonally, from the top corner down.
Spike traced it with his paw. "K, O, I, R, A. Got it!"
Madrid the cow clapped her hooves. "Perro is dog in Spanish!"
By sunset, the friends had found dog in four languages, and cow, cat and hen too.
"Every word is like a little hidden animal," said Little Thunder. "You just need sharp eyes and a bit of patience to find it."
Suzy grinned. "And good friends to help you look."
Colouring activities
Five printable A4 colouring pages to go with Animal Words Search.
Download colouring pack (PDF)