Word Search Wrapping Paper {Tutorial}

I used word search wrapping paper for the gifts that I will give to my kinders before the winter break. This tutorial will show you how to make wrapping paper for a small paperback. My books were 8" X 8". Our copy machine takes 11" X 17" paper, which was perfect. If you need larger paper, you can use a print shop or glue overlapped edges of 2 or more sheets together.

{1}  Find a online word search generator that you like.  HERE and HERE are couple of links.  I used the first one.

{2}  Type in the words you want.  I put in my kinders' first names.  I put each name in 2 times and added a "Z" to the second one so that the generator would be fooled into thinking it was actually a different name.  It won't take the same name twice, so this increased the chances of all of the names appearing on the front of the wrapped gift.  You can do that as many times as will fit in the word search.  Example:  Sam, Samx, Samy, Samz etc. Check the box "Hide word list".

{3}  Choose your settings.  These were mine:
Rows:  22
Columns:  23
Grid Style: square
Font Style: Comic Sans MS
Font Case: Upper Case
Font Size: 5.0 
Word Placement:  forward words only, diagonal words, up and down words 

{4}  Print 2 copies of the word search on your printer (print without advertisements).  

{5}  Trim the right edge of copy 1 close to the word search letters.  Then overlap the trimmed edge and glue it at the edge of the word search on copy 2.  Be careful to keep the lines and spacing as even as possible, so that when this is copied, the overlap will not even be detectable. 

{6}  Run off copies with your copy machine set for 11" X 17" paper.  I also increased the size by 150%.  This not only made the letters larger but cropped off the unecessary title etc. A couple of my names came out too close to the edge in both cases, so I played with the copier, by shifting the paper and doubling it yet again for those students.  Typing more than two of each name would have probably solved that problem.

No gift tag is needed, just circle their name with a colorful marker!  Then tell them that they might find the names of other students in the class on the wrapping paper, so it's an additional game gift for them (and so academic)!

Please let me know how it goes:)