Free Earth Day worksheets for children, with seven printable activities that use real Earth Day words, from recycling and composting to forests, oceans and solar power. Print a word search in three levels, bingo cards, a word scramble, a “how many words can you make” page, an acrostic poem, a writing prompt and a fold-up Earth Day card, each with an answer key where one is needed.
Earth Day worksheets to print (PDF)
These four pages show what the Earth Day maker prints: a medium word search with a word list, two bingo cards on a page, an acrostic poem for the letters of EARTH, and the fold-up card that says “Happy Earth Day!” Click a picture for the PDF.
Prefer one download? Grab the ready-made Earth Day activity pack (PDF), which has every page in one file.
About Earth Day: the holiday at a glance
A little background makes the words on the page mean more. Here are the basic facts that go with these Earth Day worksheets:
| Date | April 22 every year |
|---|---|
| First held | 1970, in the United States |
| Founder | Senator Gaylord Nelson, with student organizers, helped start the first Earth Day |
| Symbol | The green and blue planet, often with leaves |
| Three Rs | Reduce, reuse, recycle |
| Big ideas | Clean air and water, saving energy and protecting habitats |
The story of Earth Day
The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, after Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for a national day to teach people about the environment. Millions of Americans took part in events at schools, universities and in their towns, and the success of the day led to new laws to protect air and water.
Today Earth Day is observed in countries all over the world. Children can take part in simple ways: picking up litter, planting a seed, saving water and learning the “three Rs.” Small habits add up, and the best Earth Day activities are the ones children keep doing all year.
Wikipedia’s Earth Day article tells the story of the first Earth Day and how it grew.
What is in the Earth Day activity pack?
Every activity uses the same list of 24 Earth Day words, so children meet each word several times in different ways. The list is the heart of these Earth Day worksheets: the word search hides it, the scramble mixes it up, the bingo calls it out and the writing prompt asks children to use it.
Earth Day word search: three levels
The word search comes in easy, medium and hard grids, with 10, 14 and 18 words from the list.
The longest Earth Day words are recycle, compost, animals, habitat, protect and climate with 7 letters, and the shortest word is wind with 4.
Earth Day vocabulary: words to talk about
Take a few minutes to talk about the words before children search for them. These eight are a good place to start:
| Word | Letters | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| recycle | 7 | To turn used materials into new products |
| reuse | 5 | To use something again instead of throwing it away |
| reduce | 6 | To use less of something |
| compost | 7 | Rotted plant matter that makes soil richer |
| habitat | 7 | The natural home of an animal or plant |
| solar | 5 | Having to do with the sun, as in solar energy |
| litter | 6 | Trash left lying on the ground |
| climate | 7 | The usual weather of a place over many years |
The other 16 words in the list are earth, planet, nature, trees, plant, water, ocean, forest, clean, green, energy, wind, animals, garden, protect and seeds.
How people celebrate Earth Day
- Picking up litter at a park or beach
- Planting trees, flowers or vegetables
- Sorting recycling at home and school
- Turning off lights and saving water
- Walking or cycling instead of driving
Earth Day activities for kids to do with the worksheets
Pair the printed pages with a hands-on idea, and the vocabulary sticks:
- Litter walk: take gloves and a bag, collect trash and sort it into recycling and landfill.
- Seed planting: plant a bean in a clear cup and chart how it grows.
- Reuse challenge: turn a cardboard box or jar into a toy or a pencil holder.
- Earth Day pledge: use the writing prompt to name three things you can do this week to help the Earth.
- Recycling bingo: sort real items while playing the bingo cards.
How to use these Earth Day worksheets in five minutes
The earth day worksheets maker works from the 24-word Earth Day list, so whichever page you print uses the same words. Choose an activity, set the level and press Download PDF or Print, and press New puzzles for a fresh set. It also covers earth day printable activities.
Earth Day worksheets: frequently asked questions
When is Earth Day?
Earth Day is on April 22 every year.
What are the three Rs?
Reduce, reuse and recycle. They are in order of importance: using less is better than reusing, and reusing is better than recycling.
How can kids celebrate Earth Day?
By picking up litter, planting something, saving water and energy, and learning one new thing about how to protect nature.
Earth Day printables: find the right page
Recycling worksheets
Pair these with recycling worksheets and real sorting: the word list includes recycle, reuse and reduce, which children can use as labels for a recycling station.
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- Word search generator for your own words
- Bingo card generator for custom cards