PuzzleShoreFree learning puzzles

Grade 3 life science

Grade 3 Predator and Prey Word Search

Science Word Search Printable • Grade 3

Predators hunt other animals for food, while prey animals use behaviors and body features that may help them survive. This printable supports vocabulary practice before children model those relationships in a food chain.

Start with the printable

Preview of Predator and Prey Word Search
Predator and Prey Word Search

Use the words before and after the puzzle

Before solving, ask your child to circle unfamiliar words in the list. Afterward, choose three words to explain, draw, or use in a science sentence. Open the printable PDF below when you are ready.

Open printable PDF

What children can practice

  • Distinguish the roles of predator and prey in an example.
  • Describe a behavior or body feature that may help an animal survive.
  • Place a predator-prey relationship into a simple food chain.

For parents and homeschool

Compare two survival strategies

Choose a familiar predator and prey pair, such as an owl and a mouse or a frog and an insect.

  1. Step 1

    List or draw two features that help the predator find or catch food.

  2. Step 2

    List or draw two features that help the prey notice danger or escape.

  3. Step 3

    Decide whether speed, camouflage, alert senses, or another trait matters most in this example.

Also useful for teachers

A quick classroom adaptation

Assign pairs an animal relationship after the puzzle. Students can create a claim about one survival trait, support it with an observation, and connect the animals with a food-chain arrow.

Questions to talk about