Turkey, Apple, Autumn — Danish Words for the Feast

Thanksgiving is not a Danish holiday, but the food on this sheet needs no translating for a child. The six hidden Danish words are KALKUN, MAJS, TÆRTE, ÆBLE, TRANEBÆR and EFTERÅR — turkey, corn, pie, apple, cranberry and autumn — each printed beside its picture. Children read the grid across and down and circle every Danish word they can pick out of the surrounding letters.

ÆBLE is the one worth lingering over. It is the everyday Danish word for apple, it opens with the letter æ, and it is short enough that a beginner will find it early and remember it. TRANEBÆR is its opposite: eight letters, a compound, and a proper piece of work to trace. MAJS is the one to read aloud: the j in the middle sounds like an English y, which children never expect. Having both on one page means a child gets an easy win and a real challenge from the same sheet.

It suits a November language session, a family with Danish relatives and an American holiday to explain, or any week when autumn food is the theme anyway. EFTERÅR means autumn and is the only word here you cannot eat, which makes it a natural one to talk about afterwards. Print as many copies as you need; nothing is timed and nothing is scored.