PuzzlePage
Play

The Hawkeye State · State 29 of 50

Free Iowa Puzzles for Kids

This free Iowa puzzle pack is a printable PDF with five puzzles about the Hawkeye State: a crossword, a word search, a word fill-in, a word scramble and a cryptogram, with every answer key at the back. It is written for kids in grades 2 to 8 and works for a state report, a social studies unit or a rainy afternoon. Kids learn that Des Moines is the capital and largest city, that Iowa leads the nation in corn, hogs and eggs, and that rivers form almost all of its east and west borders. A fact page lists the state bird (the eastern goldfinch), the state flower (the wild rose), the state tree (the oak) and the state rock (the geode). Print it on US Letter paper in color or black and white.

Enter your email once to unlock this PDF and every other state pack. Answer keys included, US Letter paper.

What is in the free Iowa puzzle pack

Thirteen printable pages: a cover, a welcome page with fast facts, five puzzles, a page of true facts, answer keys for every puzzle, and a collect-all-50 checklist.

  1. Puzzle 1 · Crossword

    Iowa Crossword

    12 clues about Iowa

  2. Puzzle 2 · Word Search

    Iowa Places to Explore

    Cities, river towns and lakes across the Hawkeye State

  3. Puzzle 3 · Word Fill-In

    Iowa Animals

    Creatures of Iowa's fields, woods and waters

  4. Puzzle 4 · Word Scramble

    Iowa Farm Fun

    Crops, animals and good times on Iowa farms

  5. Puzzle 5 · Cryptogram

    Iowa Secret Fact

    Crack the code to learn when Iowa became a state

Did you know? 10 facts about Iowa for kids

  • Iowa became the 29th state on December 28, 1846. Des Moines is both its capital and its largest city.
  • Rivers form almost all of Iowa's east and west borders: the Mississippi on the east and the Missouri and Big Sioux on the west.
  • Iowa is a farming powerhouse: it leads the nation in growing corn, raising hogs and producing eggs.
  • Effigy Mounds National Monument protects more than 200 American Indian mounds, and some are shaped like bears and birds.
  • The Iowa State Fair's famous butter cow, sculpted from about 600 pounds of butter, was first made in 1911.
  • The geode, Iowa's state rock, looks like a plain round stone outside but can hold sparkling crystals inside.
  • Iowa is named for the Ioway people. The Meskwaki Nation lives on the Meskwaki Settlement near Tama.
  • Hawkeye Point in Osceola County is the highest place in Iowa, at 1,670 feet above sea level.
  • One of the first electronic digital computers was built at Iowa State College in Ames between 1939 and 1942.
  • The Loess Hills along Iowa's western edge are made of fine soil that was carried there by the wind long ago.

Iowa Super Pack · $1.99

20 more Iowa puzzles, each with its own theme

Still hungry for puzzles? The Iowa Super Pack has 20 more: State Fair favorites, prairie wildlife, Native nations, Mississippi River life, wind farms and the computer pioneers of Ames. Twenty puzzles, farm-fresh fun, $1.99.

  • Five word searches, five cryptograms, five word scrambles and five word fill-ins
  • Nothing repeats the free pack
  • An answer key for every puzzle
  • One payment, no subscription; print it for your home or classroom
See a free sample

All 20 puzzles in the Iowa Super Pack

  1. 1Iowa Rivers and LakesWord Search
  2. 2Iowa Farm AnimalsWord Scramble
  3. 3Iowa Flag and SealWord Fill-In
  4. 4Iowa Butter ArtCryptogram
  5. 5Iowa Cities and TownsWord Search
  6. 6Iowa Weather and SeasonsWord Scramble
  7. 7Iowa Corn and CropsWord Fill-In
  8. 8Iowa River BordersCryptogram
  9. 9Iowa Prairie LifeWord Search
  10. 10Iowa Wind and EnergyWord Scramble
  11. 11Iowa Mississippi River LifeWord Fill-In
  12. 12Iowa Mound FactCryptogram
  13. 13Iowa Native NationsWord Search
  14. 14Iowa Small Town LifeWord Scramble
  15. 15Iowa Woodland WildlifeWord Fill-In
  16. 16Iowa Name FactCryptogram
  17. 17Iowa State FairWord Search
  18. 18Iowa Pioneer DaysWord Scramble
  19. 19Iowa Computer PioneersWord Fill-In
  20. 20Iowa Computer FactCryptogram

Iowa puzzles: frequently asked questions

What is in the free Iowa puzzle pack?
Five printable puzzles about Iowa: a 12-clue crossword, a 15-word search of places to explore, a fill-in of Iowa animals, a word scramble of farm fun and a cryptogram that hides a true fact. There is also a fast-facts page and a full answer key. It is one free PDF for grades 2 to 8.
What is the capital of Iowa?
Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, and it is also the largest city, with about 214,000 people at the 2020 Census. It sits where the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers meet, near the middle of the state. Iowa became the 29th state on December 28, 1846.
What are Iowa's state symbols?
The state bird is the eastern goldfinch, also called the American goldfinch or wild canary. The state flower is the wild rose, the state tree is the oak and the state rock is the geode, which looks plain on the outside but can hold sparkling crystals inside.
Why is Iowa called the Hawkeye State?
Iowa is called the Hawkeye State because a judge and a newspaper editor from Burlington promoted the nickname in 1838, when Iowa was still a territory, and it stuck. Historians are not sure where it first came from. Some link it to a hero named Hawkeye in an 1826 novel, and others connect it to Black Hawk, a Sauk leader.
Is there a bigger Iowa puzzle pack?
Yes. The Iowa Super Pack is 20 more puzzles for $1.99: five word searches, five cryptograms, five word scrambles and five word fill-ins, each on its own theme, from State Fair favorites to prairie wildlife. None of them repeats the free pack, and every puzzle has an answer key.

Keep the road trip going

Tour the states in the order they joined the Union, or explore the rest of the Midwest.

28th stateTexas30th stateWisconsin

More Midwest states

See all 50 state puzzle packs · 50 States flash card deck