Consultation Sinichkin calendar senior group. Thematic day for middle-aged children “Titmouse Day. Games and competitions for children on Titmouse Day

Crossword in Word!

Those who have children in primary school have probably come across numerous “great ideas” from class teachers designed to keep you (and the children, of course) occupied on a free evening. Crafts, projects - with enviable consistency we are faced with the need to take to school another masterpiece made with our own hands. One of these crafts is crossword.

However, today I will save you from this problem, because from now on, if your son or daughter asks you to help them make a crossword puzzle, you will no longer have to struggle with rulers and pencils. We will learn how to make crosswords on a computer, or more precisely, in a text editor included in the MS Office package.

Creating the basis of a crossword puzzle

First of all, let's open the Word editor from scratch. I’ll warn you right away - there is no ready-made tool for creating a crossword puzzle. However, when has this stopped us? let's move on on the "Insert" tab and in the "Tables" group click on the only available one Tables tool.

Have you already guessed? Yes, the visual constructor looks like the most suitable solution - just select the required number of squares horizontally and vertically with the mouse, and it would seem that the basis for the crossword puzzle is already ready. However, do not rush to rejoice - the visual table designer is suitable only for the smallest crossword puzzles, because its default size is only 8x10 cells.

Much easier to use "Insert table" button, and then set the required field size for the future crossword manually, specifying the required number of columns and rows. In my example, this will be a crossword puzzle of 10x10 cells. Click “Ok” and we see...

Yes, and instead of a neat square we see the most ordinary table stretched to the entire size of the sheet. Let's correct this misunderstanding!

Hmm, we expected something different, right?

First, left-click on the icon in the form of a cross appeared in the upper left corner of the table when you hover over it. This will highlight the entire table. Now, without moving your cursor away, right-click and select from the drop-down menu "Table properties" item.

• On the “String” tab, set the “size” value to 1, and in the “mode” drop-down list next to it, select “exact”.
• On the “Column” tab, set the “size” value to 1, and in the “units” drop-down list, select “centimeters”.
• On the “Cells” tab, set the “size” value to 1, and in the “units” drop-down list, select “centimeters”. But in the “Vertical Alignment” field, select the “top” position.

Click on “Ok” and admire the result - the table has turned into a neat square, each cell of which has a width and height of 1 centimeter.

Now let's do the crossword puzzle itself!

First of all, we need, of course, a list of questions and answers. You will write a list of questions (horizontally and vertically) under our crossword puzzle, and then, having measured out the required number of letters on the field we just created, we will begin to create.

The most convenient way is to first fill out the crossword template with real answers, as if we had already answered all the questions. Just enter the letter of the answer in the required fields and it will be easy for you to navigate. And at the beginning of each word, before the letter, put a number with the number of the question. All that remains is to select the number and set it to some very small size, for example 6 points. We will simply remove the letters of the correct answers when the crossword puzzle is ready and leave the numbers.

Once all the words have been entered, the final touch remains. Select all unused crossword squares with the mouse, and then apply a black fill to them.

Go through the entire field of our crossword puzzle made in MS Word in this way, and then simply delete all the letters of the answers.

The final look of the crossword puzzle that I made using MS Word. And there's still room for questions

The “handmade” crossword puzzle is completely ready - all you have to do is print it on any printer and run to school to get excellent grades!

You may also be interested in:

If you need to quickly make a crossword puzzle, then the word text editor is at your service. Although there are corresponding special programs on the Internet with which you can create a crossword puzzle, word has an advantage. Which? There is no need to delve into and understand how these programs work. In addition, if you are creating a crossword puzzle with your child, then this editor is just right for you.

Lesson - how to make a crossword puzzle in Word

10. Type numbers and words into the finished crossword form, and make the empty cells colored. How to do it?

11. Select an empty cell or several cells in the same way as you selected the entire table. Right-click on the highlighted table. A dialog box will appear in which we select the last line “Table properties”.

12. Another window appears, in which we select “borders and fills”, go there and select the color of our selected cell. Click "ok". This way you can make all empty cells colored.

13. Want to know, with a beautiful frame.

14. Highlight the entire table in blue. A panel for working with tables will turn on at the top. Select the “designer” tab and go to it. Next, go to “borders”, a dialog box appears, find the last line “borders and fill” and go there. We remain in the first tab “borders”.

1. 15. Here we select the type of border (you can choose a beautiful, textured shape), its color and thickness. On the left is a sample, if we click on it, the border will be transformed. Let's choose the option you like. Next, check “apply to table”.

Lesson - how to make a crossword template in Word

In this program you can make a ready-made large table and use it as a template. To do this, click “insert”, “table”, go there and select the first line “insert table”. A window appears in which we set the required number of rows and columns. For example, 12 rows and 12 columns. Next, having selected everything, right-click to call up a dialog box in which we go to the last line of “properties”. Here, as has already been described, in the “row” and “column” tabs we will set the sizes of the squares we need. Don’t forget to click “ok” accordingly. The crossword puzzle is ready, and now you need to save it. To do this, immediately click the “office” button on the toolbar and select “save as” in the window that appears. In the next window, give your crossword template a name and click “save” at the bottom. Now you have learned how to make a crossword puzzle in Word, crossword template and save it all.

Solving crossword puzzles not only helps you pass a little time, but also exercises your mind. Magazines used to be popular, where there were many similar puzzles, but now they can also be solved on the computer. Any user has access to many tools with which to create crossword puzzles.

It is very easy to create such a puzzle on a computer, and several simple methods will help you do this. By following simple instructions, you can quickly create a crossword puzzle. Let's look at each method in more detail.

Method 1: Online services

If you don’t want to download programs, we suggest you use special sites where puzzles of this type are created. The disadvantage of this method is the inability to add questions to the grid. They will have to be completed using additional programs or written out on a separate sheet.

The user only needs to enter the words, select the layout of the lines and indicate the saving option. The site offers to create a PNG image or save the project as a table. All services work approximately according to this principle. Some resources have the function of transferring a finished project to a text editor or creating a printable version.

Method 2: Microsoft Excel

Method 3: Microsoft PowerPoint

Method 4: Microsoft Word

Method 5: Programs for creating crossword puzzles

There are special programs that can be used to create a crossword puzzle. Let's take CrosswordCreator as an example. This software contains everything necessary that is used when creating crosswords. And the process itself is completed in a few simple steps:

To perform this method, the CrosswordCreator program was used, but there is other software that helps create crosswords. They all have unique features and tools.

To summarize, I would like to note that all of the methods listed above are well suited for creating crosswords; they differ only in complexity and the presence of additional functions that make the project more interesting and unique.

Do you want to create a crossword puzzle yourself (it doesn’t matter why - of your own free will or it’s computer science homework), but you don’t want to be limited to a piece of paper? Modern computer programs allow you to create similar puzzles of any complexity. In addition, there are various online services. In this article we will look at how to make a crossword puzzle in Microsoft Word. First of all, you need to draw it up somewhere in a notebook or on a piece of paper, since you can’t just draw it. You must have your own idea. The computer is only a means of implementation.

Before drawing the grid for the crossword, it is advisable to increase the margins of your document so that there is as much basic space to work with as possible. To do this you need to do the following.

1. Go to the Layout tab.
2. Click on the "Fields" button.
3. After that, select “Narrow”.

Only after this can you begin the creation process, which is much more difficult.

1. Go to the Insert tab. Click on the “Table” button. In the menu that appears, try drawing a large table. The default maximum size is 10 by 8. This is not enough if you want to build a large crossword.

1. Do the same steps, only this time click on the “Insert Table” item.

1. After this, a window will appear in which you can specify the required number of columns and rows. For example, you can choose 20 by 20. This way you can create tables of any size. In order to see the result, you need to click on the “OK” button.

1. As a result of this you will see the following.

In theory, one could create the same table in the Microsoft Excel editor and transfer it to a Word document. In this case, the result will not be very beautiful - everything will move to the right.

Therefore, it is better to use the capabilities of the Word program.

1. Before composing a crossword puzzle, you need to make squares of the same size. To do this, go to the "Layout" tab and specify the dimensions for each cell.

1. The main thing is to have the same values ​​everywhere.

You can do the same using the context menu.

1. To do this, select the entire table and right-click.
2. In the menu that appears, select “Table Properties”.

1. Then, on the “Column” tab, specify the width (in centimeters).

1. After that, on the “String” tab, specify the same height.
2. To apply the settings, click on the “OK” button.

1. Then you need to put the table in the center of the document. To do this, click on the corresponding button on the toolbar located on the “Home” tab. Or press the key combination Ctrl + E. The result will be the same.

Filling with content

At this stage we have a clean crossword puzzle. This needs to be fixed

Numbering

Let's put the numbers randomly, since this is an example. Otherwise, they should be in their places so that there is no overlap of words with each other. Therefore, it is necessary to draw the entire crossword puzzle somewhere on paper in advance, or print this blank template and practice on it. In this case, you do not have to draw lines on paper using a ruler. This method is the most optimal and fastest.

By default the numbers are very large. They will interfere with entering the guessed words. It is not right. A person cannot sit for long at such a puzzle. You can correct the situation as follows.

1. Before you do anything, you need to select the entire table. For example, you can do this by clicking on the icon in the upper left corner.

1. After that, on the home tab you need to select a small font size. For example, equal to "9".

You can reduce the size of the numbers using another method - just make them in the form of a mathematical degree. As a result of this, they will appear at the top, will be small in size and will not interfere with the writing of words.

The effect will be almost the same. Perhaps even better.

Black cells

In any crossword there are fields where you do not need to write letters, that is, this is almost a “dead zone”. As a rule, they are highlighted in black or dark color. This is done as follows.

1. Select the required number of cells.

1. After that, on the “Home” tab, click on the fill icon. In the list of colors that appears, you need to select something suitable. Most people choose black. But it is better to use something gray, since in this case less ink will be used when printing in the printer. This is especially important if there are a lot of black cells.

1. Your selected color will remain. In the future, just click on the icon. There is no need to call up any additional menu.

1. In this way you can very quickly paint over any number of cells. Just like in the Excel editor: just select an element and click on the fill tool.

Or you can do this by right-clicking on the desired cell or selected range. After a pause, a small panel will appear containing exactly the same tool.

Keyword

Sometimes crossword puzzles require a secret word. You can guess it only when the answers are written in the adjacent cells. But as a rule, this line needs to be highlighted somehow so that the person guessing understands that it is there for a reason.

To do this you need to do the following:

1. Select a number of cells somewhere in the center. Right click your mouse.

1. In the context menu that appears, select “Table Properties”.

1. Go to the “Table” tab. After that, click on the “Borders and Fill” button.

1. In the window that appears, select a width of 1 or 1.5 points.

1. Then we indicate some color that will clearly stand out.

1. After you make your choice, you will need to click on the “OK” button.

1. Then back to “OK”.

1. As a result of this we will see the following.

Custom shape

Sometimes a regular text crossword puzzle comes in some original shape, that is, it differs from a rectangle. This is quite easy to do.

Outer cells

First of all, let's remove several side cells. To do this you need to take the following steps.

1. Highlight the area you don't like. Click on the indicated triangle next to the Borders tool.

1. In the list that appears, select “No border”. The result will be a little unsightly, since the remaining cells will have lost their outside.

1. In order to correct this situation, you need to select the damaged cells and repeat the steps described above, but only this time select the “All borders” item.

1. Right after this, you will be a little surprised because they will turn into the same color that we highlighted the keyword with. The fact is that the Word editor has remembered the previous settings.

1. In order to return the borders to black, you first need to select these cells. Then right-click again and select “Table Properties” in the context menu that appears.

1. Go to the “Table” tab and click on the “Borders and Shading” button.

1. We change everything to the default values.

It is black in color and 0.75 pt wide. To save, click on the “OK” button.

1. Close the “Table Properties” window using the same action.

1. Now the outermost cells look quite normal.

1. In order to return the vertical cells to their previous appearance, you need to repeat the steps described above and select the “All borders” item.

1. Now the crossword angle looks much better.

Inside the crossword

If you need such empty areas in the body of your puzzle (for example, to insert a picture), then this is done a little differently.

1. Select the required cells. Go to the “Layout” tab. Click on the “Selection” icon. Select the “Merge Cells” option.

1. The result of your actions will be the following.

Now you can insert anything there or leave everything as is.

Design of a question and answer block

If the size is large, you will have to use at least two sheets so that you can see the questions and the crossword puzzle at the same time. For example, in the case of a newspaper or magazine, it is impossible to allow such an option that in order to read assignments you have to flip the page back and forth.

The appearance should be as good as possible. To attract a person’s attention, try to use different design styles, and not “sculpt” everything with the same type of text.

It is advisable to turn the answers upside down and place them on another page so that they are difficult to read while guessing the tasks.

To turn over, we use a small 1 by 4 table. You can do this as follows.

1. Go to the “Insert” tab, click on the “Table” icon and select the appropriate option.

1. Fill in the table with the required answers vertically and horizontally.

1. Right-click on the line with the answers. In the menu that appears, select “Text Direction”.

1. In the window that appears, select the item with vertical orientation. To save the settings, click on “OK”.

1. The result will be as follows.

1. Then you need to repeat the steps described above for the second block of answers (horizontally).

Online services

If you are too lazy to create your own crossword puzzle, you can use various sites (for example, the service), where you can download ready-made options on various topics.

Here you can find:

• Crosswords;
• scanwords;
• themed crosswords;
• dictionaries.

And, of course, you will be able to create a crossword puzzle.

While creating a crossword, you can add words and questions on the right side of the site.

To customize the dimensions of your puzzle, you need to click on the “Crossword Grid” link.

In the menu that appears, you can specify the width and height.

If you open the "Ready Templates" page, you will find a large list of ready-made options.

For example, happy new year crossword puzzle.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you should have learned how to create crossword puzzles of any difficulty level, since everything was shown in great detail. If you're having trouble, you may be highlighting the wrong cells or opening the wrong toolbar tabs.

If you have difficulty composing questions, you can always use the Google or Yandex search engine and find all the necessary information there. Making a frame is not difficult. The main thing is to make your puzzle make logical sense.

Video instruction

If you still have any questions, you can try to find answers to them in the video attached below.