GELATO just means ice cream, and it is in this grid

Six Italian words lie hidden in this grid: BANDIERA, PALLONCINO, GELATO, HAMBURGER, LIBERTÀ and USA. The pictures show a flag, a balloon, ice cream, a hamburger, liberty and the US, giving your child a clear target for each one. The answers sit in straight lines, across or down, and each earns a circle once it has been traced from first letter to last. USA is only three letters long and hides rather well in plain sight.

LIBERTÀ ends in an accented À, and that grave accent belongs to the word rather than decorating it — it tells a speaker to lean on the final syllable. PALLONCINO is the longest answer at ten letters, and its doubled L slows the eye halfway through. HAMBURGER is spelled identically in both languages, so it tends to be circled first and makes a gentle opening.

This one earns its keep in early July, when a child already has flags and fireworks in mind and will take a new language along with them. There is no timer and no score. Say each Italian word aloud as it is found; GELATO and BANDIERA are pleasant things to say, and saying them is largely what makes them stay. Print it, or work on screen; six words is plenty for one warm afternoon on the step.