Welcome, neighbor! Pull up a chair.

Hello and welcome to Sunny Porter Puzzles. This is a little corner of the internet for anyone who loves a good word search and a good memory: sock hops and soda fountains, go-go boots and moon landings, disco balls and roller skates.

Every puzzle here is printed big: 22pt letters in a clear, easy-to-read font, so you can spend your time finding words, not squinting at them.

Help yourself to the free printables below. Print as many as you like.

Free printables

Each one is a free 2-page PDF: the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2. No sign-up and no email needed. Just click and print.

Fabulous Fifties: free 1950s word search

Fabulous Fifties large-print 1950s word search with a 14 by 14 letter grid and a word list with tick boxes

Elvis, I Love Lucy, jukeboxes, poodle skirts and TV dinners. Fifteen Fifties favorites are hiding in this grid.

Get the free 1950s word search

Groovy Sixties: free 1960s word search

Groovy Sixties large-print 1960s word search with a 14 by 14 letter grid and a word list with tick boxes

The Beatles, Bewitched, go-go boots, lava lamps and the moon landing. A far-out puzzle for Sixties fans.

Get the free 1960s word search

Seventies Flashback: free 1970s word search

Seventies Flashback large-print 1970s word search with a 14 by 14 letter grid and a word list with tick boxes

Disco, pet rocks, mood rings, bell bottoms and Happy Days. Dig out your platform shoes for this one.

Get the free 1970s word search

The books

If you enjoyed a free puzzle, there are 100 more in each book. The Nostalgia Large-Print Word Search for Seniors series comes in three paperbacks, one for each decade:

1950s Nostalgia Word Search for Seniors (Volume 1).
See the 1950s book on Amazon
1960s Nostalgia Word Search for Seniors (Volume 2).
See the 1960s book on Amazon
1970s Nostalgia Word Search for Seniors (Volume 3).
See the 1970s book on Amazon

What you get in every book:

100 puzzles, one per page, each with its own theme, on big 8.5 x 11 inch pages
22pt grid letters in Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface created by the Braille Institute for easier reading
Answers in the back, for when one word just won't show itself
A gentle start: puzzles 1 to 40 are gentle, and every word reads forwards. From puzzle 41, some words also read backwards.
$9.99 in paperback

They make a nice little gift for a parent, grandparent or friend who loves the good old days, and they slip easily into a Christmas stocking.

More about the books

An 11 point example word search grid next to a real 22 point grid from the book, shown at the same scale — An 11pt example grid next to a real page from the book, at the same scale.

For activity directors, caregivers and group leaders

Running a reminiscing group, a senior center morning or a library puzzle hour? You're welcome to print the free puzzles for your group, as many copies as you need, at no charge. They're free to print and share for personal, family, library and activity-group use.

Each printable page also has a few conversation starters to get the stories flowing, plus printing tips for US Letter and A4 paper.

All I ask is that you don't sell the printables or post them on another website as your own. Linking to this page is always welcome.