Jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, logic problems – I love just about any kind of puzzle. My favorites would have to be puzzles and games that deal with words (crosswords, acrostics, cryptograms, Boggle, Scrabble, Anagrams), or with shapes and colors (jigsaw puzzles, Tetris, Pandora’s Box). I remember spending hours playing with a Rubik’s cube (I never did solve it, but I refused to stoop to buying a guide on how to do it). I do OK on puzzles that deal with numbers but I don’t have the same enthusiasm for them.
Besides being just plain fun, doing puzzles has been found have health benefits. According to Dr. Chang, co-founder of Medical World Search ( www.mwsearch.com):The brain is like a muscle: Use it or lose it. Today's research offers evidence showing that taking steps to protect your brain can prevent a decreased memory and slowed wit. Mental exercise is crucial. It begins when parents read to their children. But it is never too late to stimulate the brain. Reading, doing crossword puzzles, and playing board games such as chess and word games which stimulate the brain to think.Read the entire article at Can Brain Stimulating Games Help Slow Down Aging?
Computer programming is a puzzle of a sort. I never thought I would be interested in
computers when I was young, since they were always associated with math in our school.
One day I took a test for aptitude in computer programming, however, and it was so much
fun I figured programming would have to be fun too. It is - but it is also very
frustrating at time, until you figure out the problem you are trying to solve - like
any good puzzle!
For a fun introduction to programming, especially designed with children in mind (but
adults can have fun trying it too!), try this
freeware program.