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The Mount Rushmore State · State 40 of 50

Free South Dakota Puzzles for Kids

This free South Dakota puzzle pack is a printable PDF with five puzzles about the Mount Rushmore 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 snowy afternoon. Kids learn that Pierre is the capital, that each face on Mount Rushmore is about 60 feet tall, and that Wind Cave was the first cave in the world to become a national park. A fact page lists the state bird (the ring-necked pheasant), the state flower (the American pasqueflower), the state tree (the Black Hills spruce) and more. Print it on US Letter paper in color or black and white.

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What is in the free South Dakota 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

    South Dakota Crossword

    12 clues about South Dakota

  2. Puzzle 2 · Word Search

    South Dakota Places to Explore

    Cities, towns, caves and scenic drives across the state

  3. Puzzle 3 · Word Fill-In

    South Dakota Animals

    Creatures of the prairie, the Badlands and the Black Hills

  4. Puzzle 4 · Word Scramble

    South Dakota Fun

    Things to eat, play and do in the Mount Rushmore State

  5. Puzzle 5 · Cryptogram

    South Dakota Secret Fact

    Crack the code to learn when South Dakota became a state

Did you know? 10 facts about South Dakota for kids

  • South Dakota and North Dakota both became states on November 2, 1889. South Dakota is counted as the 40th state.
  • Each of the four faces carved on Mount Rushmore is about 60 feet tall. The carving took from 1927 to 1941.
  • In 1903, Wind Cave became the first cave anywhere in the world to be named a national park.
  • Wind Cave holds most of the world's known boxwork, a rare cave formation shaped like a honeycomb.
  • The Missouri River splits the state into two parts that South Dakotans call East River and West River.
  • Black Elk Peak in the Black Hills, more than 7,200 feet tall, is the highest point in South Dakota.
  • Badlands National Park has one of the world's richest fossil beds, with bones of ancient horses and rhinos.
  • Author Laura Ingalls Wilder based five of her pioneer books on her family's homestead near De Smet.
  • Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota runner from Pine Ridge, won the 10,000-meter race at the 1964 Olympics.
  • About 887,000 people lived in South Dakota at the 2020 Census, and about 192,500 lived in Sioux Falls.

South Dakota Super Pack · $1.99

20 more South Dakota puzzles, each with its own theme

Still hungry for puzzles? The South Dakota Super Pack has 20 more: Black Hills lakes, Native nations, Badlands fossils, Missouri River country, cave words, bison herds and rodeo lingo. Twenty puzzles, one great big prairie, $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 South Dakota Super Pack

  1. 1South Dakota Black HillsWord Search
  2. 2South Dakota Farm and FoodWord Scramble
  3. 3South Dakota Cities and TownsWord Fill-In
  4. 4South Dakota Rushmore FactCryptogram
  5. 5South Dakota Native NationsWord Search
  6. 6South Dakota Weather and SeasonsWord Scramble
  7. 7South Dakota Bison HerdWord Fill-In
  8. 8South Dakota Cave FactCryptogram
  9. 9South Dakota Badlands and FossilsWord Search
  10. 10South Dakota Mount Rushmore WordsWord Scramble
  11. 11South Dakota Pioneer DaysWord Fill-In
  12. 12South Dakota River FactCryptogram
  13. 13South Dakota Prairie LifeWord Search
  14. 14South Dakota Cave WordsWord Scramble
  15. 15South Dakota Night SkyWord Fill-In
  16. 16South Dakota Runner FactCryptogram
  17. 17South Dakota Missouri River CountryWord Search
  18. 18South Dakota Rodeo and RanchWord Scramble
  19. 19South Dakota Dinosaur DigWord Fill-In
  20. 20South Dakota Badlands FactCryptogram

South Dakota puzzles: frequently asked questions

What is in the free South Dakota puzzle pack?
Five printable puzzles about South Dakota: a 12-clue crossword, a 15-word search of places to explore, a fill-in of South Dakota animals, a word scramble of prairie 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 South Dakota?
Pierre is the capital of South Dakota. It sits on the Missouri River near the middle of the state. Sioux Falls is the largest city, with about 192,500 people at the 2020 Census, and Rapid City, near the Black Hills, is the second largest.
What are South Dakota's state symbols?
The state bird is the ring-necked pheasant, the state flower is the American pasqueflower and the state tree is the Black Hills spruce. The state animal is the coyote, the state fossil is the Triceratops and the state dessert is kuchen. The motto is "Under God the People Rule."
Why is South Dakota called the Mount Rushmore State?
South Dakota is called the Mount Rushmore State because Mount Rushmore National Memorial is in its Black Hills. Workers carved the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln into the granite from 1927 to 1941. The nickname became official in 1992.
Is there a bigger South Dakota puzzle pack?
Yes. The South Dakota 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 Badlands fossils to Missouri River country. None of them repeats the free pack, and every puzzle has an answer key.

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