What is National Puzzle Day?
National Puzzle Day, which falls on January 29th, recognizes that solving our brains with puzzles is just one of the many benefits.
Puzzles put our minds to use whether it's a crossword, jigsaw, trivia, word searches, brain teasers, or Sudoku. When we work on a jigsaw puzzle, we use both sides of the brain, according to studies. Spending time on puzzles improves memory, cognitive skills, and problem-solving skills.
Word searches and crossword puzzles have the obvious benefit of improving vocabulary and language skills. Sudoku, a puzzle assembling a series of numbers on a grid, also exercises the brain. This puzzle stimulates the brain and improves number skills by testing memory and logical reasoning.
Puzzles also have social benefits. We increase our social interactions when we collaborate on these brain teasers with someone. Whether we belong to a club or play with our children, those interactions keep us socially active and teach our children social skills. Even though they are not working together, they provide the opportunity to concentrate the mind in a nonthreatening manner.
Puzzles stimulate the brain, keep it active, and learning its skills, according to the bottom line.
