How Puzzles Enrich The Brain

In today’s world, puzzles and games are highly popular especially when it comes to mobile devices. Sitting in the doctor’s office or waiting to get your oil changed is the perfect time to while away the minutes, playing a game or decoding a puzzle. And puzzles aren't just for adults. Be sure to have a puzzle handy for when you are with your child in the doctor's office, or while you're getting your oil changed.

If you’re a harried mom or dad, mobile puzzles and games can be a life saver when it comes to long office wait times, or car rides that last more than 30 minutes. But are these puzzles and games really beneficial to brain health and growth?

It’s no secret that a thing like adding more omega 3’s to your diet, getting proper rest and exercise, and lots of fruits and veggies are beneficial to brain health. These days you can’t pick up a magazine without at least one article being on the brain benefits of some wonder food. But wonder games? Puzzles and games that ward off diseases like Alzheimer’s? Games that improve focus; increase attention spans and improve fine motor skills?

It’s actually not that far-fetched. There has been a ton of research done of late exploring the benefits of games and puzzles on brain health. The only real disagreement is not whether these things actually work, but whether or not the higher priced digital versions work better than the old-fashioned crossword and word finders you can play in your local newspaper.

Fortunately, brain flexing puzzles and games don’t all have to be high priced digital versions, and you don’t have to carry around a crumpled newspaper to get your fix or allow your kids to reap the benefits. In today’s digital age, apps for mobile devices like the iPhone or the ‘Crackberry’ are being created all the time. That means gaming apps and puzzle apps. There are puzzles for both kids and adults. There are math-based puzzles, trivia-based puzzles and even puzzle books.

There are though a few things to keep in mind when choosing such games and puzzles to play. Not all are created equal and some just don’t offer the same kind of brain ‘muscle building’ power as others might. A good rule of thumb is to look for puzzles that offer a ‘thought challenge’ or ‘motor challenge.’ If you can combine a game that offers ‘though challenges’ and ‘fine motor challenges’ you are well on your way to a healthy, brain enhancing time!

Games built on the premise of ‘luck’ such as throwing dice are not as beneficial to brain health as games that provide a good blend of strategy, memory, thinking, and a variety of learning opportunities like math, words, language, etc.

Bottom line? Puzzles are a great brain booster when chosen careful and thoughtfully. And digital versions no longer have to cost an arm and a leg, because applications for mobile devices are being made all the time and are as effective and significantly less expensive than ‘brain boosting software’.

By: Robert Budlow

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Robert Budlow is co-founder and president of Still Motion Media. The company produces MobiStories, digital books for kids. MobiStories transforms children’s printed picture books to the digital space and formats them as apps and ebooks downloadable to iPhones and computers. By adding narration, music and sound effects to existing picture books, reader interest and engagement exponentially increases. For more information about Still Motion Media and MobiStories, please visit www.mobistories.com and download a book to your iPhone or computer.