A mind puzzle is any kind of puzzle that you solve in your head instead of physically. They can keep your brain in good working order well into your old age by giving it the exercise it needs. They can also help to improve your memory and reading skills, and increase your vocabulary. Below, find out how you can use mind puzzles to keep your mind young and vigorous.
The Benefits of Mind Puzzles
Mind puzzles require you to think in new and different ways, and so you have to learn new mental skills if you want to solve them. The greater your mental skill set, the more resistant your mind is to the effects of aging. Mental puzzles will also help you develop patience, because some puzzles can be really difficult to solve. When you are solving mind puzzles, you may find yourself using knowledge that you had forgotten you even had. Figuring out mind puzzles gives your brain new uses for old skills and knowledge. And, as you become better at solving the puzzles, your brain will start to want more of a challenge and you will be compelled to try more difficult puzzles that will really develop your thinking.
Where to Find Mental Puzzles
You can buy mind puzzle books from almost any store that sells books. You may even be able to buy them from a toy store. You can choose the books that contain the puzzles you enjoy the most, or you can choose more difficult puzzles if you want to challenge yourself.
You can also play online, either by downloading a game or playing within a browser. The advantage of using a browser is that the puzzles will be updated on a regular basis, so there is always something new for you to try.
There are also apps that you can download onto your phone which have a wide range of mind puzzles for you to enjoy. This is an especially convenient option, as you can take the opportunity to play these games and get yourself thinking whenever you have a few spare minutes, even when you are on the go.
Creating Your Own Mind Puzzles
You can also make mind puzzles for yourself at home. Try these ideas:
- You can write down some random letters and see how many words you can make.
- Deal yourself several cards at random from a pack of cards. Look at them, and then turn them over so you cannot see their faces. Turn over one card at a time and try to predict what it will be based on the cards you can remember seeing and what has already been shown.
- Pour some jelly beans (or any similarly sized items) into a container and try to figure out how many are in the container. Make the puzzle especially challenging by using oddly shaped containers.
Creating Mind Puzzles for Other People
There are also sites where you can create your own puzzles for other people to solve. These types of sites are popular with teachers who want to create puzzles for their students, but they can be used by anybody. Making your own puzzles can give your brain even more exercise than solving them, because you not only have to think of a challenge, but you have to think about how other people will think.
Final Thoughts
Take some time every day to complete some mind puzzles. It is one of the best ways to fight the effects of aging on your brain. And the more mind puzzles that you solve, the more you will want to solve.
