GROW WISE

WITH A BRAIN EXERCISE

Printable Puzzles and Brain Games to Exercise your Brain and Improve your Intellectual Health

Word Search Sudoku Word Scrambles Fallen Quotes Crossword Labyrinth Maze

INTRODUCTION

About the Creator: My name is Allison, and I am a Therapeutic Recreation major at UNH. In this discipline, we specialize in improving well-being and functioning in all areas of health, including intellectual using recreation and leisure. Personally, I do these types of puzzles everyday because I find them engaging, fun, and relaxing. I wanted to use this platform to spread my love of puzzles with all of you, because in additional to being enjoyable, puzzles are incredibly beneficial to your intellectual health. I work in the activities department at an assisted living facility and many of these puzzles and content are very popular amongst residents. I used my educational, personal, and professional knowledge to create an enjoyable and beneficial packet of variety puzzles. Benefits of Puzzles and Brain Games:

• Improve memory: delays dementia onset and progression • Uses both sides of your brain: The Left side controls analytic and logical

thinking and the right-side controls creativity. Puzzles work on both! • Improve problem solving skills • Can Improve IQ score • Emotional benefits: reduce stress levels and enhance mood

More Information:

• Intellectual Wellness https://www.northwestern.edu/wellness/8-dimensions/intellectual-wellness.html

• Study on the benefits of puzzles and brain games https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200302/do-puzzles-brain-games-really-keep-older-minds-sharp

Try the puzzles you’re unfamiliar with. Novel brain games are far more beneficial to your cognitive health than the ones you have mastered.

INTELECTUAL WORD SEARCH

Braingames

Challenge

Creativity

Curiosity

Decisions

Expand

Explore

Focus

Learn

Memory

Puzzles

Reading

Recall

Think

Word searches help with word recognition and reasoning skills

WORD SCRAMBLES

U.S. States

1. IMNEA- __________________

2. DHOIA- __________________

3. ZOIARNA- ________________

4. VEAADN- _________________

5. EXATS- ___________________

6. WAIAIH- _________________

7. LRODIFA- _________________

8. LAAAABM- ________________

9. CHIMGNIA- ________________

10. MTNREVO- ________________

11. LOORDACO- _______________

Fruits and Vegetables

12. OOTAPT- _________________

13. PELPA- ____________________

14. ROCTAR- __________________

15. HECAP- ____________________

16. VADOCOA- ________________

17. CRILOOLB- ________________

18. NIOON- ____________________

19. TYRESWRABR- _____________

20. TELUCET- _________________

21. NNAAAB- __________________

22. ARGPAS- __________________

Word scrambles work on problem solving skills, reasoning skills, thought organization, thought flexibility, and judgement.

SUDOKU- Level Easy Instructions: Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the row, column or square.

Sudoku puzzles practice logical thinking, judgement, cognition speed, and concentration.

This crossword can help with delaying memory loss and dementia, increasing concentration, visual and spatial reasoning, as well as reminiscence.

FALLEN QUOTES

Instructions: Try to rebuild the quote about aging. The letters from each cell are below the puzzle. Try to rebuild the quote by choosing the letters for each cell. I started the first one for you.

1. Abraham Lincoln

I N T H E E N D , ‘ . ‘ .

C E A N H E E A N D O U I H E I F E F E H A H E I N U R S Y I E R S S R T L S L I O T I N Y O U R T I T Y T N T T T Y O T N

2. Mark Twain

.

W H A D E C A E E N H H E L D M E I E E S I I N I L B S E S W O U R E S M R L L Y R N V K E T

These types of puzzles can improve concentration, judgement, logical thinking, and word recognition

LABYRINTH MAZE Find your way through the maze from the first arrow to the second arrow without making

a mistake. But you should use a pencil just in case!

Completing mazes practice visual and spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, and concentration.

ANSWERS

Word Search:

Word Scrambles:

1. Maine 12. Potato 2. Idaho 13. Apple 3. Arizona 14. Carrot 4. Nevada 15. Peach 5. Texas 16. Avocado 6. Hawaii 17. Broccoli 7. Florida 18. Onion 8. Alabama 19. Strawberry 9. Michigan 20. Lettuce 10.Vermont 21. Banana 11.Colorado 22. Asparagus

Sudoku #1:

Sudoku #2:

Crossword:

1D: Gunsmoke 2A: Poodle 3D: Ethel 5A: Buzz 4D: Cuba 6A: Yellow 7D: Espionage 9A: Beaver 8D: Nixon 13A: Hitchcock 10D: Elvispresley 14A: Ringo 11D: Twelve 15A: Stalin 12D: Ken 17A: Egg 15D: Ike

Fallen Quotes:

1. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

2. “Wrinkles merely indicate where smiles have been.”

Labyrinth Maze: