CROSSWORD PUZZLE WORKSHOP
Crosswords make reading and writing more interesting. Crosswords for kids can improve their vocabulary, analytical skills, and memory. It is not just fun, but it is good for the mind. Brainpower can be stimulated in many ways, crosswords being one of them, and it helps in activating the mind.
Benefits of Crossword Puzzles
They Help You Expand Your Vocabulary.
They Help to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.
They Reduce Anxiety.
They Broaden Your Horizons.
They Provide a Sense of Achievement.
They Stimulate Creativity.
They Help Improve Cognitive Abilities.
Working crossword puzzles may improve memory, helping people who have mild cognitive impairment.
That’s according to a study just published in NEJM Evidence that compared crossword puzzles with computer video games that target cognition.
Mild cognitive impairment can be a precursor to dementia. In the study, people who have mild cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of “intensive, home-based computerized training with Web-based cognitive games or Web-based crossword puzzles, followed by six booster sessions,” the study said.
Per Prevention, “Scientists noted that both crossword puzzles and brain games positively impacted the early stages of cognitive decline.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 1 in 9 adults in the U.S. have worsening self-reported symptoms of confusion or memory loss associated with cognitive decline. Among those 65 and older, the share climbs to 11.7%. Self-reported cognitive decline is more common among men than women, 11.3% vs. 10.6%. It is somewhat more common for Black people, then Hispanics, then whites, Asians and Pacific Islanders.
The Washington Post noted numbers from The American Academy of Neurology showing that “mild cognitive impairment affects about 8 percent of people ages 65 to 69; 10 percent of people ages 70 to 74; 15 percent of people ages 75 to 79; 25 percent of those ages 80 to 84; and about 37 percent of people 85 and older.”