5 Reasons Why Crosswords & Puzzles Are Beneficial For Kids by Jessica K

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Gone are those days when children spent hours under the sun playing a sport or game with other children from the neighborhood. Increased smartphone penetration, good internet connectivity, and numerous online engagement tools keep children glued to screens within their homes. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops are helping children learn and at the same time making them miss out on the fun of indoor activities.

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Simple word puzzles, board games, or even the humble crossword can turn a child’s boring day into an exciting and learning experience even if they are on their own. Here are five reasons why crosswords and puzzles are good for your children:

Develop problem-solving skills

Puzzles and crosswords, especially games like daily crossword, help children develop analytical and logical reasoning, promoting problem-solving during their formative years. The games promote quick thinking, problem analysis and help children arrive at a solution – which is what corporations, non-profits, start-ups, or just about any organization seek these days. Recent global events have proven that quick thinking, thinking out of the box, and risk-taking are essential skills to survive. Games like these encourage children to think beyond conventional tactics and seek unique ways to solve the puzzles.

Grow and improve vocabulary

In this age of Alexa and Siri, where everything is voice-activated, children have stopped using words in their daily activities. How many of us have children who refuse to use the search bar to type their search query and instead go for a voice search? Probably a lot of us. Word puzzles and crosswords are a great way to boost their spelling skills. Not only such a practice allows them to learn more words but increase their cognitive skills. Moreover, it helps them:

  • Learn new words
  • Understand their meaning
  • Increase general knowledge

Enhances learning and development

Word puzzles and crosswords have a great way of developing soft skills. These games are mentally stimulating, making them more aware of the present moment. According to University of Cambridge researchers, puzzles help in reasoning, learning new terminology, and memorizing data.

The study says that puzzles are not being used as much as they should be in the education process despite the cognitive and psychological benefits. If you find the traditional puzzles and crosswords not exciting enough for your digital-friendly children, try some of these tactics:

  • Spice up the game with some additions – If you find them struggling for an answer, invent an ‘ask for help’ or ‘call dad/mom’ option. This will encourage the kids to solve the puzzle and create some great family bonding time.
  • Keep it real – Do not dumb down the game to make them play. Keep it intriguing so that they can learn new words and also get curious about their meaning.
  • Get creative – If you are playing the game with young children, take time to create fancy letters in exciting fonts and themes that they might be attracted to. Create a superhero-themed board or create large letters in funky fonts and colors that can be spread on the floor to form a word.

Prepares them to be resilient

We can all agree that contests and competitions prepare us to learn defeat and take them well and be good at sports. More importantly, these small contests and activities teach us the importance of perseverance, commitment, and failure. These are small but impactful lessons that children can learn while they are playing the puzzles.

Anywhere learning

Another benefit of these games is that they are portable. Like a phone or a tablet, a crossword or puzzle can be carried around in your bag, backpack, or car, making sure the children are engaged with something other than a gadget during long drives or picnics. They are not just educational but even entertaining, making everyone in the group feel involved. Imagine taking long drives and engaging your children with fun memory games or asking them to unclutter anagrams instead of having them stare at some screen the whole time. Wouldn’t it be creative and spontaneous at the same time?

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Conclusion

To sum up, puzzles and crosswords have been scientifically proven to increase the cognitive capabilities of children. In addition to the numerous playing probabilities available in the market, these puzzles’ limits are only limited by imagination. We can make them theme-based or even have the children design some themselves. It promotes creativity, thinking, reasoning, and gets them to interact with real people and not virtual assistants.