Puzzles are still a fantastic way to occupy your child’s time and assist their learning in surprising ways. As a child, you probably spent a fair amount of time playing hangman, figuring out puzzle books, solving word searches and completing crosswords. Today, children spend hours in front of the TV, on their phone or playing computer games, but word puzzles can be used to great advantage to help your child’s learning. Here’s 9 reasons why word puzzles are an important and good activity for your child to become interested in.
1. They help to improve and practice spelling
Word puzzles can help your child to practice the spelling rules they have learnt at school, while at the same time reinforcing those rules each time they are used. This is especially true with puzzles like crosswords, where it’s important to spell the words correctly to be able to complete the task. Word puzzles also help to make learning spelling fun, for example by making anagrams of this week’s words for your child to unscramble.
2. They help to grow and extend vocabulary
The more words your child comes across, uses and understands; the broader their vocabulary will become. Word puzzles can be a great and easy way to increase your child’s exposure to new vocabulary. They also get the opportunity to see the word used in context, as well as figure out its meaning or definition.
3. They improve your child’s working memory
Working memory helps both long-term and short-term memory to work together. Word puzzles such as crosswords and logic problems, where your child has to access vocabulary and definitions from memory, can help to improve their working memory. This can then also have an effect on their learning and achievement.
4. They improve your child’s work pace
Word puzzles can help improve your child’s processing speed, so that they are able to problem solve and arrive at the correct answer, faster. This doesn’t just help with literacy, but also with other classroom tasks that require quick thinking, such as mental maths.
5. They encourage and improve problem-solving skills
Crosswords make your child think about how each of the words interact with one another on the grid, while code breakers encourage the consideration of multiple possible solutions before arriving at the correct answer. Many word puzzles require not just a good vocabulary and good spelling, they also require the ability to think logically and strategically. Word puzzles ask children to think outside the box, engaging their problem-solving skills and creativity.
6. They foster persistence
Word puzzles can be challenging, some more than others. At times, they require more than one attempt to reach the correct answer. Persistence is often needed to keep trying once one has failed repeatedly to solve the puzzle, which in itself is a good lesson for children to learn. They are going to experience similar failures many times over the course of their lives, where they don’t get something right the first time and need to try again. The lesson of “if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again” is a good one and will help your child through many difficult and sometimes disheartening challenges.
7. They can assist with improving test taking skills
Word puzzles help to develop the skills your child will need throughout their school career: verbal reasoning, vocabulary, problem-solving, spelling, grammar and memory. The more these skills are practiced, the better your child becomes at using and accessing them. This in turn makes their processing of these factors faster, which impacts their performance. When these skills are mastered, they make a significant difference when your child writes tests.
8. They can improve self esteem
The accomplishment of achieving a goal brings so much satisfaction to a child. Overcoming the challenges involved in solving a puzzle really gives them a sense of achievement and pride within themselves. It provides a boost to their self-confidence and self-esteem as this prepares them for other challenges in life.
9. You can take them anywhere
Puzzle books with crosswords and word searches don’t need to be plugged in and charged. They can go anywhere! They are a cheap, quiet and portable way to keep your child amused, whether that’s on a long journey or during the speeches at a wedding reception, with the added benefits of all the points above. Even verbal riddles, which you can make up yourself and don’t require any stationery, are a great cost effective way to occupy time and learn simultaneously.
Puzzles are a fun educational toy that challenges young minds, teaching and preparing some very important life skills.
What ways do you incorporate mind-games in your child’s daily routine? Post your comments below.
I’v have a 6 year old girl that have a constraint problem and strangle with 1-10 numbers. She can count but can’t recognize them when I flash card it.
Hi Louise
Thanks for your message.
Number recognition can be a fairly serious problem if left unattended, however your daughter is still young and may still be developing those cognitive functions. The best starting point would be to talk to your daughter’s teacher abut your concerns. They will be most familiar with both your daughter’s strengths and weaknesses, and be able to provide the best advice on how to proceed further.
I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions and we’ll be happy to assist.
Kayleen
Good morning Kayleen
My son is a poor reader and struggles so much it breaks my heart… esp he’s phonics words… how do I go about in assisting him to understand… I have tried so many ways… he’s 8 turning 9 in May…
Thank you kindly
Najwa kemp
Hi Najwa
Thanks for your message.
Phonics is knowing that sounds and letters have a relationship. It is the link between what we say and what we can read and write. Phonics gives new reader the strategies to sound out words. For example, that the letter D has the sound of “d” as in “dog.” This then leads to learning how to blend letter sounds together to make words like dog. The ultimate goal of reading is good comprehension. But in order for your child to understand what he reads, he must be able to do it quickly and automatically, without stumbling over words. Phonics facilitates that process.
Some good tips to facilitate phonics at home:
1) Team up with the teacher. Ask how you can highlight phonics and reading. If you have concerns, share them.
2) Listen to your child read daily. If your child stumbles on a word, encourage him to sound it out. But if he still can’t get it, provide the word so he doesn’t get discouraged.
3) Revisit familiar books. It’s okay if your child wants to read favorites from earlier years.
4) Read aloud. Choose books on topics that excite your child, and read with gusto, using different voices for the characters.
5) Continue with the read-aloud. Include alphabet books. Some alphabet books tell a story or share information. Look for these.
6) Sing the alphabet often. Be careful that “l-m-n-o” doesn’t come too quickly and sound like one letter. It is a group of letters with four distinct sounds; slow down at this part, maybe even pause after the letter n, and then continue with saying the alphabet slowly and clearly.
7) Look for letters wherever you go. Examples: signs, cereal boxes, book covers. Look at letters, say the letter name, say the letter sound, then say a word that begins with that sound.
8) Make flash cards. Play letter games such as Memory or Go Fish with letters or sounds, and when you find a match say a word that begins with that matched sound. Play Tic-Tac-Toe using letters other than X and O.
9) Start with simple words, like bat. Write the word on a piece of paper, point to the first letter, and ask for the sound. Continue with each subsequent letter.
You can also make use of WorksheetCloud’s phonics worksheets to help him practice identifying and blending different sounds and letters. If you’d like to know about these worksheets, let us know and we’ll be happy to assist.
Kayleen 🙂
I have Afrikaans speaking youngsters in my class. Ages range between 8 to 13. What I have found in one instance, was to let them recite the ABC as we know it. Over and over again. I give them a letter in the middle of the ‘recital’ and they must be able to carry on from there, without starting with A again. They then make words and write them in order of the alphabet. e.g. words with the “bee” sound and not the “b” sound for ‘back’, and so on. They have to write a word for each letter.as A stands for age. B stands for bee and so on. We then do the phonetical abc, as in ‘a’ (apple) ‘b’ (bay, ‘c’ for case, ‘d’ for day and so on. It takes a while to learn and say the the phonetic a – b – c down to z for zoo. Somehow the phonetic a,b,c is easier on the ear and they grasp it quite quickly. We also do combined vowel sounds, as well as consonant sounds. Let us say the word ‘chain’. They have to write 3 or 4 words starting with the ‘ch’ sound, at the beginning of the word, the middle of the word and the end of the word. They may consult the dictionary for such words. After that they must make more words which sound like chain, e.g. rain and so on. One can expand this method quite a lot. Having to use the dictionary is another plus in the exercise.
Hi Vicky
Thanks for your message.
You have provided some great additions/elaborations on simple word and letter puzzles for emergent literacy! Thank you for sharing your valuable tips and your experiences in the classroom.
Please let us know if you have any questions and we’ll be happy to assist.
Again, thanks for sharing your insight with us, we really appreciate it!
Kayleen 🙂
I have twins boys GR2. They just want to play outside….I struggle to motivate them to read and do educational work….Like now its holiday and they just say no reading or wrighting…..cause its holiday….They are behind on reading for their age. How can I motivate/reward them in the right way?
Even sticker books,they say no its work…..
Hi Carika
Thanks for your message.
Some kids love to read, in fact, it can be hard to tear a book out of their hands. But it can be difficult to motivate a child who doesn’t love to read. It may even seem impossible. But it doesn’t have to be. Research confirms that motivation is a key factor in becoming a successful reader. When children are motivated, they read frequently, which in turn helps them become skillful readers. Rewards are usually the easiest motivator to use.
Used effectively, rewards can have a hugely positive impact on your child, especially on areas that you normally struggle with co-operation. We have a great article on how to use reward systems effectively, you can find it here: https://www.worksheetcloud.com/blog/4-ways-to-use-a-reward-system-effectively/
You may also want to take a look at our blog article on some ways that you can improve your childrens reading: https://www.worksheetcloud.com/blog/4-ways-to-improve-your-childs-reading-in-2016/
For some extra tips and ideas, you may also want to take a look at the following pages as well:
https://blog.allaboutlearningpress.com/motivating-kids-to-read/
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-ways-for-parents-encourage-their-child-read.html
I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions and we’ll be very happy to assist.
Kayleen 🙂
Thanks for the awesome post! Crosswords and other word puzzles are fantastic learning tools, whether you’re learning/practicing some trivia, a new word or phrase.
Solving word puzzles are also great for ESL learners as they can help you stay committed in the quest to improve your language skills and vocabulary by combating habituation and boredom. And, of course, word puzzles also stimulate parts of the brain that aren’t frequently used!
I’ve actually started developing puzzle-solving applications on https://www.crosswordsolver.com/ because I believe puzzles are games, and games are meant to be fun! So, in my eyes, it’s okay to look something up when solving puzzles to minimize frustration, learn for next time, and keep things fun!
Hi Emily, thanks so much for your comment and for sharing!
I completely agree with you, word puzzles are a great learning support tool!
Please let us know if there are any other blog topics you would like for us to cover in the future or if you have any questions regarding our content.
Ross 🙂
Hey Kayleen, that’s a great blog post. I actually loved all the points, specifically that it helps to improve vocabulary skills. Just want to add up that one of my friends starting playing crosswords using Wealth Words. Now, he has become quite impressive in verbal skills and even started earning now.
Hi John, thanks for your comment! I’m glad that you found our article helpful!
We will certainly be sure to pass on your comment to Kayleen. It’s encouraging to see how your friend improved his verbal skills through Wealth Words; thanks for sharing this!
Please also let us know if there are any other blog topics or useful surveys you would like us to cover in the future or if you have any questions regarding our content.
Kyle 🙂
I like your blog. Its one of the best blogs online
Hi Libby, thanks so much for your comment on our blog! I’m really happy to hear that you found it super useful!
Please also let us know if there are any other blog topics you would like us to cover in the future or if you have any questions regarding our content.
Ross 🙂
Your article provides excellent insights Word puzzles have been found to offer invaluable benefits, such as enhancing cognitive skills and promoting language development in children. You have brilliantly highlighted the multitude of reasons to incorporate daily word puzzles for young minds. It is truly a fun and educational activity that is crucial for their growth. Thank you for sharing these compelling reasons
Hey Simha
Thanks for the comment! I really appreciate the kind words and I’m glad that you found some value in our blog post. 💜
I agree with you 100%. Word puzzles are awesome. 😎
Have a fantastic day ahead.
Thank you for your passion in youth academics
I have a 16 year old still struggling with his academics. He is a slow learner and seems to lag behind in his subjects.
i will appreciate advise on learning methods i can use to enhance his learning experience
Thank you
Hey Zion
Thank you for your comment. It’s an absolute pleasure!
I’m sorry to hear about your son’s learning struggles.
We have a quiz that will help you determine your son’s learning style which will be a great starting point in understanding how he learns best.
You can take the quiz for free here: https://www.worksheetcloud.com/blog/identify-your-childs-learning-style-with-this-quick-quiz/
I hope this helps.
– Aiden