Word Puzzles…Perfect for Kids’ Brains!

By admin · Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Word puzzles (crosswords and word search) are a great activity for children to do as they grow and develop their thinking, and behavioural patterns.

They are not only fun, but they help children with reading, comprehension, logic, as well as expanding their vocabulary and general knowledge. They learn new things through having to research things in an atlas, dictionary or on the Internet, and they also remember what they have learned before.

The beauty of word puzzles is that they always provide a challenge – children develop competitive desire to find all the answers that will complete the grid. Once they have done it, they experience a sense of achievement and want to do it more and more.

There is much more to learning spelling bee words than just remembering a combination of letters. Often taught in ‘rote learning style’ – ie the child is given a list of words to memorise for a spelling test. This is really only the tip of the iceberg. To do a crossword puzzle, single words need to be put in context with their meaning. This is where the fun begins. There is more application required than simply remembering.

Word search puzzles are very good because they enforce correct spelling. They are often collection words in a particular category eg. Countries of the World which builds general knowledge.

In order for children to be able to read and comprehend language effectively, it is vitally important that they learn these basic principles:

Vowel and consonant sounds

Syllables

Singular and plural

Vocabulary – nouns, verbs, adjectives

Tenses

Antonyms

Synonyms

Homonyms and homophones

Anagrams

and the list goes on….

All these concepts can be incorporated into a word games, crossword puzzles or word search. They can be designed any educational level which make them an ideal learning activity for students…children and adults! The fun doesn’t stop there….Puzzles are a very important part of lifelong learning.