The first crossword puzzle graced the pages of the Sunday New York World on December 21, 1913. The first crossword puzzle was created by Arthur Wynne. After the first issue, it never looked back. It became a weekly feature until it became a craze.

Word puzzles can be traced until the Roman period. Actually, remains of a word squares can be found in the Roman ruins of Pompeii. A word square is composed of words which can be read horizontally and vertically. The words are the same in both directions. But there would be instances where the horizontal word is different. This is referred to as the double word square.

A famous word square was discovered in the Herculaneum ruins in Pompeii. The word square was called Sator Square which is in Latin. It can be predated in the Christian era.

The longest word squares done were composed of nine letters and uses unusual word and proper names. Nobody was able to construct a ten letter word square, whether it is a computer or a person. Word squares were considered to be the forerunners of crossword puzzles.

When crossword puzzle was first published in the New York World, it was initially called “word-cross puzzle”. It is very different from the current puzzles, since there were no black squares. The New York World was the only newspaper back then which started publishing crossword puzzles. It was created by a journalist working for the World. Wynne was inspired by a childhood game in England.

In 1924, a small publishing firm released a collection of the puzzles published in the World. It was published in book form. The book was launched by Simon and Schuster. It sold 36,000 copies after the first printing. They published two more volumes of the book and this signalled the start of the craze over crossword puzzle. Other newspapers eventually picked up the trend and started publishing their own crossword puzzles.

Within the next decade, crossword puzzle became very popular. It seems like every kind of business is using crossword puzzle, it was even given free with items of clothing sold. Its popularity eventually reached and conquered Europe.

The first crossword puzzle appeared in Britain in Pearson’s Magazine in February 1922. It first appeared in Times in February 1930. British crossword puzzle was considered to be more difficult since it is a cryptic puzzle. To solve a cryptic puzzle, answering the clues is not the only thing to do. You would also need to figure out the clue itself.

The crossword puzzles were initially created by hand until a software company was able to develop a program for computers that would be able to create a crossword puzzle. This program was first created by Variety Games Inc. in 1997, the software was called Crossword Weaver and was patented.

Today crosswords are among the most popular word games in history. There are people who make answering crossword puzzles a daily habit while there are some people who are totally obsessed with it. In the United States alone, there were about 40 million people who solve crosswords daily.

Now, there the New York World is no longer around. The initial format of the crossword puzzle transformed to its current form. But Simon & Schuster still publishes book of crossword puzzles. Until now, the crossword puzzle’s popularity still continues.

For some people who are really hooked into solving crossword puzzles, a day would not be complete without solving as many puzzles as possible. Since it has become some sort of addiction to other people, it is best to get tips on how to solve crossword puzzles the easy way to veer them away from pent-up aggression and depression.

Experts say that solving crossword puzzles can drive people crazy. If you are one of those that could not last a day without having to solve as many crossword puzzles but you are having a hard time on it, here are some tips to maintain your sanity:

1. Keep in mind that it is just a game. One of the reasons why people solve crossword puzzles is to exercise their mind and to have fun. It is just unfortunate that some people find it as an addiction and curse themselves if they don’t solve a certain number of puzzles a day. For you not to be affected or depressed so much when you don’t solve the number you are eyeing for, keep in mind that it’s juts a game. If you don’t finish it today, you have the next day or the next after that to finish it. If you have this mindset, it will be easier for you to solve more number of crossword puzzles since you are lifting the pressure on yourself.

2. Solve it one puzzle at a time. Although for some people, bombarding themselves with so many crossword puzzles to be finished at a certain time work to be better solvers, it is not always the healthy way to go about it. It is best to solve it one puzzle at a time so you don’t put too much pressure on yourself in solving an amount that you really can't attain in a specific time frame. It is best to solve only the number of puzzles that you can. Through practice, you will be better and can solve more puzzles in no time.

3. Grab all the available opportunity to play it. Crossword puzzles in newspapers are handy as well as those that are compiled in books. For you to be a better solver, try to solve as many as you can whenever you can and wherever possible. If you are commuting on your way home, you can solve one crossword puzzle. If you are queued in a line for a movie or in a grocery store, you can also solve one. If you are using the computer, you can take some time off and play crossword puzzles online.

4. Start easy. In playing crossword puzzles, it is best to start with easy clues and move on with the more difficult ones. If you do this, it will be easier for you to answer the entire page since you did not get disappointed in answering the first ones.

5. Look for the favorite words of the author. In solving crossword puzzles written by a single author, it will be inevitable for the writer to use a common word in all of the puzzles. This word is referred to as the "favorite word" which oftentimes appear in almost all puzzles. If you were able to guess or find out the author's favorite word, it will be easy for you to start solving any of his or her puzzles.

How many times did we give up on crossword puzzles just because we cannot get the words right? There are people who keeps on answering crossword puzzles even if it would take them days, weeks and even months, just to finish them. How we wish we can finish more than one crossword puzzle.

Here are some tips we could use to solve crossword puzzles, fast.

• Never give up. That is the most crucial thing to remember. If you are having difficulties with a crossword, figure it out. Do not just throw it away and hate crosswords forever and curse people who can actually answer them.

• Do the easy crosswords first on your first try. There are newspapers whose crosswords become more difficult as the week progressed. So start with the Monday crossword (sometimes, easiest). You can buy a book. Just make sure that it is within your level.

• You can start with fill-in-the-blanks clues since they are sometimes easier to figure out. Work across and down together. Do not do them separately since they are totally related to each other. Also, it would become easier for you since there are already letters serving as additional clues.

• Boosting your vocabulary will help you solve the puzzle. People would carry pocket sized dictionary or thesaurus with them so they can easily identify the words.

• Answer those clues that you are sure about. After answering them, return again to the first clue. Since there are already words pencilled in the puzzle, there are additional letter clues that can help you remember the answer.

• Pay attention with the theme. Some crosswords would have the theme as the title. The theme can help you a lot with identifying the words. Sometimes the theme is not written as the title, it can be the longest word in the puzzle.

• Think outside the box. Crosswords make you think creatively and imaginatively. Answers are not literal.

• Ask for help. Do not be afraid in asking your friend, family or even the neighbour when answering crosswords.

What if you have encountered a clue ending with a question mark? Question mark clues are usually a pun or metaphor. In crossword, it the question is straightforward, then the answer could be a little difficult to figure out. While, trickier questions have easier answers.

Also take not of the tenses used in the clues. The tense used in the clues will require the same tense in the answer. Plural clues also have plural answers. Just remember that not all plural words end with an “S”. The answer will also reflect proper nouns. Words with capital letters are always proper nouns.

Improve your vocabulary and basic knowledge. You can watch trivial game shows and enhance your reading. Also there is a crossword dictionary. This would greatly help you. Just like any other sport, hobby or talent, proficiency improves through practice. So do not be afraid to take on crossword puzzles. Practice answering until you get familiar with it.

There would be moments when you will feel extreme frustration and anger for not getting or understanding any clues. If you have reached that point, then breathe for a while. Put down the crossword and get some fresh air. Drink coffee or tea. Eat lunch. Do something that would make you full refreshed. Sometimes just seeing something aside from the crossword puzzle, will make it easier for you to finish the entire thing.

If you’re familiar with crossword puzzles, then you know that a typical puzzle consists of white and black boxes. The white boxes would be where you will place the words that are hinted in the clues. But aside from the puzzle boxes you see in newspapers and other publications, there are other major variations of crosswords, some of which you might not have even encountered before.

Let’s go regional first. The American-style of crosswords is quite different from the British and Australian puzzles. For one, the American crosswords usually have word combinations were the letters eventually “check” each other. So if you figure out most of the across or down words, you’ll find that the answers for one direction is also basically filled out. Not like the American style, British and Australian crossword puzzles have the white boxes positioned in such a way that half or less of the letters check each other out. In a way, the latter two can be more difficult solve.

Another popular crossword in the UK is the cryptic crossword. This one can actually be more challenging. The reason is that the clues themselves are sort of little puzzles. So you actually try to solve the clues themselves before you get to the crossword.

Code breakers and code crackers are other names for a kind of crossword called cipher. Cipher crosswords are very different from cryptic puzzles. You see in cryptic puzzles, the clues are puzzles themselves but in cipher crosswords, the clues for the white boxes are replaced with number 1 to 26 which serves as a cipher for the letters of the alphabet. Numbers correspond to one letter and when filled out, the boxes should contain valid words. If you look at it, the cipher crossword puzzles seem to be closer to being codes than being puzzles.

Other crosswords include the diagramless and the fill-in crosswords. The former consists of finding out the answers to the clues and at the same time the location where they will place the answers on the puzzle grid. In this kind of puzzle, the clue numbers and black squares are not indicated. So this means, you have to see how your answers can be grouped together to produce additional answers from the clues provided. Meanwhile the latter one, the fill-in crosswords, consists of a list of words and a puzzle grid. The objective is to find how you can fit all the listed words on the grid in such a way that all the resulting words from each intersection are valid.

The cross numbers is another variation but as the name imply, the clues and answers are related to numerical values. The clues can be a mathematical formula where the answer to it is the one you will place in the boxes of the puzzle grid. Some questions or clues may refer to a year of an event or an important date. Whatever the clues are, numbers are usually the answers and depending on the difficulty, the intersections of the numbers can be valid entries as well.

There maybe other variations out there, but what were mentioned are the major kinds. Other crosswords might be just derivatives of those puzzles above. You can check all them out or just focus on the traditional one instead. But to add to the challenge, most people will try out different kinds of crosswords just to test their skills. Just remember to have fun.

Crossword puzzles have been used with children to improve their language and thinking skills. There are a lot of benefits among children like improved spelling, vocabulary, grammar skills, and even comprehension. It can even develop a lot or personalities like self-respect, overcoming challenges and developing patience among children. But how does it work for adults?

As people grow older, not only is it the physical body that we need to maintain and keep healthy. We also have to maintain and make sure our mind and spirit are healthy. Running and exercise is important for the body. Thinking and mental exercise is important for the brain. Keeping the mind active and alert can ward off dementia. Dementia is described as a decline on the brain’s function because of disease or just aging.

Mental exercises, like crossword puzzle, can be challenging. Questions are different from each other, daily there are different crosswords to answer. The mind functions and reacts differently for each question, making it function efficiently while answering the puzzle.

In the United States, a study which took 21 years showed that seniors who answers crossword puzzle four days a week has lower risk of dementia compared to those who are answering crosswords once a week. Seniors can develop their:

• Memory
• Attention
• Language
• Problem solving
• Remembering people’s names
• Remembering simple tasks and things, like time and channel for favourite shows

Forgetfulness and depression comes along with old age. There would be times you would be extremely sad since elderly cannot perform tasks that they used to perform. Also, numbers are showing that most people lose their memories. About 75 percent of senior citizens have memory-related problems.

You can also do crossword puzzles while drinking a cup of coffee or tea. By the way, coffee research showed that they can help revive the memory of the elderly who are 65 years and above. Coffee is best drank mornings and evenings.

Depression can also be addressed by having friends and family members over to do crossword puzzles. There are crossword clubs which you can join. Not only do crossword puzzles help the elders to expand their vocabulary, it would also help them be mentally alert. Both young and old can enjoy crossword puzzles.

Because of these reasons, there are brain exercise programs promoting the revitalization of our mental processes. There are brain training which are said to help seniors and adults who have memory problems. These brain trainings would claim they are a great help in fighting off Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. These brain training exercises are sold commercially. Actually their market is getting big fast. In 2005, their market was only worth $2 million dollars. Currently, it is hitting the &225 million mark.

Dr. Peter J. Snyder of Lifespan Affiliated Hospitals in Providence, Rhode Island, said in that answering crossword puzzles is probably just as effective or more effective than these commercial and formal brain training. You do not have to spend a lot of money by getting people to assist you in brain training. You can do it on your own.

Professionals like Dr. Snyder cited that participating in social and intellectual processes and activities, like playing with grandchildren, going out in senior get-togethers or luncheons, and doing crossword puzzles can help improve memory and brain function. The best thing is that these things that you can do are free.

Everything has there own conventions. Rules or guidelines are there to help maintain quality and ensure a uniform standard which becomes the basis of evaluation which promotes, eventually, further improvement or development. You might ask why the serious tone. We’re talking about crossword puzzles and the first few sentences you read are about rules and standards like I was talking about ISO standards that need to be followed. You have to pardon me for the seemingly out of place and an over reaction of an introduction. I was so accustomed at enjoying crossword puzzles that it never occurred to be that there are actually rules in making a crossword.

Yes, believe it or not, that small square of entertainment that you fill out in your daily newspaper does follow certain guidelines during the creation process. Although, it appears that the guidelines may differ depending on the editor of the entertainment section or the editor of the newspaper. For example, some newspapers will require crossword puzzle submissions to be of a symmetrical nature. This basically means you will get the same pattern from the crossword grid when you view it upside-down. But make no mistake, the symmetry is purely the reference for patterns only and does not really affect the answers in the puzzle.

Despite having no standardized guidelines for making crosswords, there are some well accepted rules that most papers follow.

One guideline that seems to be followed by conventional puzzle makers pertains to the use of black squares. Traditionally, only 16% of the squares in a crossword puzzle grid should be black ones. But today, editors and even the target audience frown upon a crossword puzzle with too many black squares clump together. Today the idea is to create a puzzle with as few black squares as possible. It is also now strongly suggested that puzzle solvers can go from one corner of the grid to another.

The minimum length of an answer in a crossword should be less than three letters. Two-letter words should be avoided. You should take care of not accidentally creating two-letter words from the intersecting words. When selecting words for the grid, you get the longest one and make sure that the across and down boxes are symmetrical. I do maintain that this practice is a personal reference. There are several crossword puzzles out there that are not symmetrical in any way. So it would be your decision if you want to publish an asymmetrical crossword grid.

Other guidelines include not repeating words in the grid. This is something that a puzzle maker should do. In the first place, there’s no need to repeat a word in grid since there are a lot of word or terms out there that can be used in a decent crossword. Repeating word entries is inexcusable. Also, inventing your words to accommodate a word resulting from intersecting answers is never allowed. Often, editors will require puzzle makers to produce their set of references for the answers they placed inside the crossword. Also, wrong spellings and punctuations in both the answers and clues are unacceptable.

Speaking of clues, you need to write concise clues. Avoid writing questions as clues. Such practice is often avoided unless absolutely necessary. When writing the actual clues, be sure that you follow proper grammar rules. The first word of each clue should be capitalized as well as proper nouns and names.

When making your own crossword, do not forget for whom you are creating the puzzle. Coordinate with them closely to see if they still have other specific rules and guidelines.

Crossword puzzles not only entertain you but can also increase the potential of your brain. Like any other mind games, crossword puzzles helps your brain to develop and enhance memory, concentration, and the thought process.

There are studies showing that consistent brain activity would keep your brain healthy and would ensure that your brain would function well as age affects our bodies. There are brain exercises that can be done to keep the brain functioning well. When strengthening the brain functions, the nerve cells in the brain needs to be strengthened too.

Using crossword puzzles and number puzzles help the brain to get stimulated. When done frequently, this would improve the brain’s functions. These kind of puzzles provide the brain with enough intensity that would strengthen and energize the nerve cells in the brain. You have to make sure that the brain gets stimulated with the right amount of time and intensity. Such practices can definitely be beneficial in the long run.

Even if you perform the same task everyday, like redoing a jigsaw puzzle that you have jus completed the other day, it would still be brain stimulation. Another thing about answering puzzles like crosswords and sudoku, you can track your improvement. Of course, the first time you try it, your performance may be a bit slow. But as you get used to it and able to adapt some techniques, then there would be changes on how you answer. When doing sudoku, you can test this by measuring the time while answering the puzzle.

Not only do crossword puzzles enhance the brain functions, but they can also help improve vocabulary. There would be instances where the crossword puzzles will ask about questions which are totally new to you.

Keeping your brain working can be done by answering puzzles that you see every morning with the local newspaper. If somebody is still using or answering the puzzles, then there are online games and websites which you can check. You can even print some puzzles to keep you in company for the next few days.

If you are somebody who does not feel enjoying crossword on your own, then there are crossword clubs that you can join. You can enter these groups. You can learn a lot from them and at the same time they can also learn something from you. Crossword clubs or organizations can be found in small or big groups.

When entering or joining any crossword group. You are still required to provide membership fees. It could be expensive, it can also be cheap. This depends on the size and difficulty of the crossword puzzle.

Crossword clubs can meet over coffee, they can also meet in a member’s home. The venues for meetings and socialization are important. These venues ca open or sometimes even close your brain to close down.

Crossword puzzles are not just adult games. Children can participate and answer their own crossword puzzles. They can also form their own club, children can set-up an organization in schools whose objective is to make sure that those who are playing crosswords can learn and impart their knowledge with thee groups.

Similar to improving your physical health through mobility and exercise, answering crossword puzzles also make sure that your mind is constantly being used and is purring nicely.

Crossword puzzles are one of the most popular word puzzles over the world. In the United States alone, there is an average of 40 million people answering crossword puzzles every day. With the emergence and popularity of crossword puzzles, other puzzles followed suit. Among others are sudoku and kakuro.

Sudoku and kakuro are also known as the numeric counterpart of crosswords. Sudoku is a numeric puzzle which requires logic rather that mathematical processes. Common sudoku puzzles would be in a 9x9 grid and would have 3x3 subgrids which are also called regions. Each column, row and region contains number from 1 to 9. There are given numbers that would serve as hint to complete the entire puzzle.

Sudoku puzzle difficulty is based on the number of given numbers. The more given numbers the easier the sudoku is. Also, another factor for determining the difficulty is with the time limit (if provided) in solving the o puzzles. This became a popular game with its rise and international success in 2005.

The first published sudoku was released in New York during 1970s. It was first introduced in Japan in 1984 by Nikoli. After its initial release, on 1986 the puzzle gained much popularity. They increased the number of givens in the box and at the same popular periodicals and newspapers started publishing them in Japan. Right now, Nikoli still has the right over Sudoku and other puzzles in Japan using the same name.

Sudoku is somehow similar with magic square which first appeared in France during the 19th century. The difference is, this puzzle used arithmetic to solve or complete it, while sudoku uses logic. It was first released in 1892. The Le Siecle’s rival paper refined the magic numbers until it became the current format of the puzzle.

Kakuro, meanwhile, is called or referred to as the mathematical transliteration of crosswords. It can also be called pr referred to Cross Sums or Cross Addition. The Japanese name kakuro comes from the shortened karan kurosu which literally means addition cross. In Japan, Kakuro was the second most popular puzzle after Sudoku and Nikoli.

There is combination puzzle of sudoku and kakuro, this is called “cross sums sudoku”. The clues are given as cross sums in a standard 9x9 sudoku grid.

Sudoku rose rapidly, not only are sudoku puzzles being published, it can also be viewed and answered in different websites. There are different sudoku software which can install games on computers and mobile phones. Not only are sudoku and kakuro popular in Japan and United States, it is very much known in Asia, Great Britain, Europe and other countries.

To promote the game, live TV shows about Sudoku and live game shows were also launched. There are even songwriters contributing and writing songs about the puzzles.

Answering these kinds of puzzles is not just to torture ourselves or waste our time, these logical puzzles can expand the brain and increase a person’s logical skill. Logical puzzles have different forms and you can pick out the form which you think is most interesting. These puzzles are not only intended for adults, they are also significant for developing logic among children.

Crosswords, sudokus, kakuros and other combination puzzles, are not only fun and entertaining. These logical puzzles also contribute to our mind development.

Looking at crosswords everyday, have you ever stopped and wondered how one creates such an interesting puzzle? Crossword puzzle makers often have their own style in making their puzzles but they do follow some conventions or established guidelines. Nowadays, there are software and various applications that create crossword puzzles automatically. You just need to input or fill out certain fields and application will create the puzzle for you. In the old day, things were a little different.

When the first crossword came out, there were no computerized programs available. It was 1913 when Arthur Wynne created what is now considered as the first crossword puzzle. Today crossword makers can earn around $50 to a $100 on a puzzle. The payment will depend on the complexity of the puzzle.

Creating crosswords come naturally to some people while others had to learn the process. There are several ways going about it. But the first thing that you will have to do is find a theme for your puzzle. Of course, crosswords can be about general, random things but there are times when you will create puzzles that tackle a single theme. Some crosswords are focused on subjects like animals, plants, biology, chemistry, physics, politics, and even mathematics can become themes for a crossword. One of the advantages of having a theme is the fact that you will a singular thought regarding what kinds of clues and answers to make.

The second you thought of a theme, it would be best to design a puzzle grid for your crossword. There are different kinds of grids to choose from. Marketwise, it seems that the American audiences are keener on a 15 by 15 word length. However, other combinations like 17 by 17, 19 by 19, and 21 by 21 can be utilized. Anything smaller than 15 by 15 has been found to be too small and also not that appreciated by the American crossword puzzle solvers. For the puzzle makers, it is not as lucrative as the bigger ones as well.

After having designed your grid, it would be easier to design one that is symmetrical. You can get to a more difficult grid design later as you become more accustomed to the process and more confident on your puzzle making skill. You will need to fill out the words inside the grid. You will insert the terms that you found out from research about a single theme. When placing the words on the grid, be careful placing them and avoid post assignments that create two letter words from the intersecting words. These two-letter words can be quite troublesome when you are already creating clues.

You then create the clues. Clues ideally should be interesting and creative. It has been a common practice to indicate as clues the synonyms of the words. Although valid, having synonyms as clues are pretty dull and I do believe you can do better. One can place as clues incomplete phrases or sentences leaving a blank space where the answer should go in. Some clues need to be factual. There are instances where you need to go to reference materials to check if you wrote the clue correctly. Also, some editors from publications will require you to show your references so it would be best to note that down.

This is a basic run down of how to create a crossword puzzle. In time you will develop your own style and process. But never forget to enjoy yourself.

Initially, crossword puzzles were hand-made but open the invention of a software program in 1997, crosswords puzzles can be made by an individual on the computer. The easiest way of creating a crossword puzzle, then, would be doing it in a computer.

The first thing to identify when making a crossword puzzle, it is intention. Is the crossword puzzle intended just for personal use? Or is it made for friends and family? Crossword puzzles are also given as gifts, nowadays. The reason for answering these questions, it to make sure that you will be acquiring or purchasing the appropriate software that would cater to these needs.

American crossword puzzles have a set of standards that they need to follow. There are several grid sizes for a crossword puzzle: 13x13, 15x15, 17x17, 19x19, 21x21, and 23x23. The most common crossword size would be 15x15 and is generally accepted as the standard size.

You also need to remember that crossword puzzles are symmetrical. The number of black boxes in the left corner should also be the same with the number of black boxes in the lower right corner. Also, two letter words are not allowed and three letter words should not appear frequently in the puzzle.

Another rule is that unkeyed words or words whose letters are not interlocked with an across and a down word are not allowed. So every letter square should be a part of an across and a down word. Another rule is about word duplication. There are words in an expression should not share with another word used in a puzzle.

If you intend to have the crossword published, then you have to be familiar with the number of black boxes that publishing companies allow to appear in the crossword. With Simon & Schuster, they prefer that about one- sixth of the total number of grid squares in black.

There are publishers who do not declare any specific number. But normal number of black boxes would be about one-sixth. If they see that there are too much black boxes in the puzzle, they may think twice of buying or publishing the puzzle.

There are crossword puzzle makers who draw up a list of theme words or phrases first. Then they would be sorted out according to their length. This practice makes it easier for the crossword makers to think of words and develop questions or hints about the words.

There are also different practices for some crossword makers. Once they have identified the theme and have come up with some long words, they would fill in the grid with the words and then think about the clues afterwards. While there are some who would create the clues first before completing the grid.

In the process of completing the puzzle, there would be times when you would have to encounter weird and unacceptable words. This is perfectly normal. You can use entertaining words to make your crossword witty and fun.

If you have decided to create a crossword puzzle with the help of a software, then there are free crossword puzzle makers which you can try using. There are crossword making software which could be purchased in a lower rate. There are software for making crosswords for publishers.

If you intend to have your crosswords published, then it would be best to avoid using them or publishing them on your own. Avoid using them even in your personal page since they can affect the publisher’s interest. Most publishers would like to buy puzzles where they can have all rights. And also, there are some crosswords who are experiencing trademark problems.

Try to avoid using words with trademark in your crossword puzzles.

Solving crossword puzzles is one of the most "indulged in" activities for people who love mind games. This is because this game is reported to be good for the mind since it encourages intellectual stimulation.

Today, more and more doctors recommend solving crossword puzzles to people who are getting older so they would avoid developing Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorder caused by old age. Medical experts also recommend this activity for kids because it is believed to contribute so much to their development such as their cognitive skills.

But, wouldn’t it be interesting to know what is crossword puzzle like before and compare it to the crossword puzzle that we know of today?

TRIP DOWN THE MEMORY LANE

In 1913, Arthur Wynne, a writer for New York World's Game Page was the one who introduced the game to the public. He was tasked to come up with a game for the Special Christmas Edition of the newspaper. He came up with so many types of games but he ended up with a variation of 'word squares' which he used to play with his grandfather. had taught him when he was a boy. The original wold game contained words in the square and one has to read the same word in horizontal and vertical manner.

To give it a refreshing twist, Wynne came up with the "ACROSS" words which were entirely different from the "DOWN" words. This design became more challenging because the solver has to work on not just with one word but two words with one common letter on them.

In its debut on the December 21 issue, the puzzle was called "Word-Cross". Many people were challenged by the new game and the newspaper received so many feed backs that they had to run it for three consecutive Sundays. After a month, typesetters had a mistake in typing the title and was published as "Cross-Word" instead of "Word-Cross." But instead of receiving bad comments on the mistake, it has received more praises because many think it was more appropriate.

However, despite of its success, the newspaper tried to drop it after a few months because the editors were having a hard time on it because these are hard to print and it prone to typographical and other errors. But, when the readers did not saw puzzles in their copies, the unexpected happened: they rallied to the newspaper building. So hostile the people's reactions were the World had to take back their decision and made the "Cross-Word" a permanent feature on the page. In the next ten years, only the World was the one who carried and printed the crossword puzzles.

Another important development on the crossword puzzles came in 1924 when Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster decided to publish a book that served as a compilation of crossword puzzles. The copies of the book were sold like hotcakes the first day it was out in the market and by 1925, more than 300,000 crossword books were sold to the public. This gave birth to Simon & Schuster as one of the major publishers that world know of today.

But the craze over the crossword also led to some unfortunate events such that made it less popular. Crimes were committed due to addiction to crossword and a person who committed suicide used it as a note to solve his case. Despite all those, crossword puzzles were able to revive itself and continues to be among the top mental exercises that most people indulge in today.

On December of 1913, a man called Arthur Wynne gave birth to one of the most beloved past times of people today—the crossword puzzle. It was very different from way back then because aside from being called "Word-Cross" it also had a different format—a diamond shaped puzzle without internal black squares in it.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The newspaper is the most common avenue where one could see a crossword puzzle. Almost all broad sheets and dailies carry crossword puzzles because these are one of the main reasons why people buy them. But many hobbyists of crossword puzzles cannot wait for the next issue of the newspaper that is why they resort to books that contain compilation of different crossword puzzles.

Today, there are so many books that are published that would suit the person's level of expertise. There are those who are for beginners that contain easier words to fill out. There are also those who are for advanced hobbyists that would contain difficult words and combinations.

In most bookstores today, crossword puzzles are also categorized depending on the age. Many crossword puzzle books are available now for kids such as "Wordbook Game for Kids" that contains easy word puzzles and with big and attractive illustrations. For adults who want to start slow, they can buy the "The Outrageous Crossword Puzzle" which is more laid back and easier to solve. For those who learns fast, there's the " The New York Times Monday Through Friday Easy to Tough Crossword Puzzles". And, for those who are planning to get hooked into it, it is best to purchase the "The New York Times Crossword Omnibus: 1,001 Puzzles from the NYT" which is considered as the biggest book of crossword puzzles that was ever produced or published.

STARTER TIPS

Aside from being an entertaining hobby, the most important benefit the one can get from solving crossword puzzles regularly is that they exercise their minds. Experts say that those who solve crossword puzzles have lesser risks for dementia and other age-related neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. People who also solve crossword puzzles regularly are known to have lighter moods compared to those who don’t since they have an outlet for their emotions and other frustrations in life.

If you would want these benefits, now is the time to get started with crossword puzzles! Here some tips that can help you get by:

1. Learn how to solve it. If this is the first time that you will be solving a crossword puzzle, what you can do is grab a pen and start looking for the clues. By doing this, you will know which are the ones you can answer first. Once you have a word depending on the clue, you can look for more words until you finish the entire puzzle.

2. Read, read, and read! Since solving crossword puzzles is all about words, it is best if you update your vocabulary with new words as often as possible. This can be done by reading reference materials such as dictionaries, almanacs, and even novels. If you read these stuff regularly, you will be able to learn as many ambiguous words and phrases. If you are familiar with as many that words or phrases s possible, it will be easier for you to solve crossword puzzles.

If you know your crosswords, then you know that there are different variations other than the usual stuff you see in the newspapers. And one that usually calls attention to is the one called cryptic crosswords, a unique type.

The main difference of cryptic crossword puzzles from any other kind of crosswords is the fact that the clues themselves are little puzzles that you need to solve. So unlike the ordinary crossword where all you need to do is read the clue and figure out the answer, in a cryptic puzzle, you will need to figure out what the clue is all about before you get to thinking of the possible answers. If you find the regular crosswords as hard to finish, attempting to fill out the boxes of a cryptic crossword would be a very daunting task.

This kind of crossword is not that popular in the United States, however, it has quite a following in its birth place, the United Kingdom. In fact, the crossword is sometimes referred to as “British-style” crossword puzzle in the US. It was around 1923, during when the crossword phenomenon was sweeping the globe that the cryptic kind of crossword puzzles came to be. At first the clues were not like today but rather the clues were composed more of anagrams, incomplete quotations, and, of course, wordplay.

Outside the UK, it seems that the crossword is also popular in Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Malta, and even in South Africa. A lot of daily newspapers in the UK and Canada carry cryptic crosswords.

Cryptic crossword has been further subdivided into two kinds. We have the basic or ordinary cryptic puzzle where the clues are mini-puzzles and we have the advanced version. In the advanced version which is also called variety cryptic crosswords, aside from the clue being mini puzzles, some or all of the answers have to be changed or altered based on certain rules that can be apparent to the solver or totally hidden and have to be discovered first.

Getting confused? Let’s break it down. In the basic cryptic crosswords you won’t get the answer from reading the clues and taking them literally. The clues have to be dissected and sifted through. The literal translation of the clue is often the distraction. So never absorb the literal meaning of the clues in cryptic crosswords. Usually, a clue in a cryptic puzzle will have the first part describing the answer in terms of its definition, tense, or part of speech. On the other hand, you will find that the second part of the clue is usually more of wordplays that point you to the answer.

Although it is difficult, once you identify which part of the clue is the definition and which part is the wordplay you can get the answer more accurately. So the trick would be to where the first part ends and where the second part begins. It can be obvious in some cases but other times you have to really put your mind to it. There are clues that have double definitions because of the nature of the answer. The size of a typical cryptic crossword is 15 by 15 but the advanced version usually is only 12 by 12.

Cryptic crossword puzzles are very challenging. It takes a certain amount of practice before you get good at it. Your knowledge should cover a wide enough range of topics and subject matter in order to excel in solving cryptic puzzles.

One across, ten down. Crossword puzzles, you can love them but sometimes you curse them. Okay, maybe I’m just going overboard. But those little square boxes and the crisscrossing words can be quite addictive. But have you ever wondered where they came from or who started all this. From the easiest one to the most complicated, these puzzles must have an origin which we can trace back to as early as 1913.

It was journalist Arthur Wynne who is often credited as the inventor of the first crossword. This journalist from Liverpool, England was working for the World back then. His “word-cross”, which was what he called it came out in December 21, 1913. Although, it is not the same as the puzzles we know today, there are a lot of similarities and basically the idea is the same. The puzzles were later renamed as “crosswords” and slowly began to be popular. Other papers began publishing these puzzles as well. And by the 1920s, one can no longer deny the popularity of the crossword puzzle. To add to its fame, Simon and Schuster published a crossword puzzle book in 1924. The book was even sold with a pencil attached to it so people can get on it the minute they bought the book.

The puzzles popularity even went as far as the reference sections of libraries. In fact, it is known that the New York Public Library even considered banning people who were at a fix with their puzzles from the dictionaries and other materials they have from the library’s reference section. The library claimed that these crossword puzzlers, as they call them, prevent students and other readers who need the dictionaries and encyclopedias more.

From the 1920s to the 1930s, the popularity of the crossword puzzles soared. In fact, there was so much attention given to it that the issue of it becoming a fad was not gone unnoticed by critics. Some has called it as nothing but a meaningless and mindless waste of anyone’s time. In fact, there were some publications that insisted on not including crosswords in their papers because they believe that it was nothing but a craze that soon will pass. The crazy phase did die down in the 1930s but the impact the crosswords had remained and continue to be a part of the daily lives of millions of people today.

In terms of popularity and prominence, the New York Times crossword puzzle is notorious for being one of the most difficult to solve. The Times began publishing the puzzles only from 1942. The paper was among those publications that did not feel to ride on the popularity of the puzzles more than a decade earlier.

During World War II, some military intelligence officers became paranoid with crosswords. They thought that the appearance of some words that coincides to secret military codes for the upcoming invasion of Germany was being passed on to the enemy. The puzzles in question were the ones that appeared from May to June 1944 on The Daily Telegraph. However, it was proven that the appearance of certain words in the puzzles were mere coincidence. Nevertheless, that fact that crosswords can be used to transmit coded messages was never disregarded by the military.

The puzzles have come a long way since then. But the truth remains that it still has a horde of followers today and will continue to have so even in the distant future.

You have been at it all morning and you decided that it is enough. You slowly put down the paper you were reading on the table and placed the pencil you were using beside it. Even if you don’t say it out loud, anyone that is close enough can see the frustration from your face. You have been doing crosswords all morning and despite how hard you tried, you just failed to complete the puzzle grid.

You ask yourself in annoyance, what are the tips to beat a crossword game, if there are any and if there are none, they should come up with some?! Fortunately for you, you’re not the first one to ever been frustrated with not finishing a crossword. And even luckier, some people had the sense to organize a list of tips to solve crosswords faster.

Crossword puzzles have been around since the early 1900s. The first known puzzle ever published was in The New York World in 1913. The first creator who is acknowledged today as the creator of the crossword puzzle is Arthur Wynne. The popularity of the word puzzle received some notoriety in the 1920s but craze eventually waned down a decade later. Nevertheless, the fad might have died down but the popularity was still there which was why by the 1940s daily newspapers and even magazines include in their publications crossword puzzles for the entertainment of their readers.

Now you might already know that as you solve more crosswords, you improve in time. You can to learn more vocabulary and understand better the clues thus you are able to process them quickly than you used to. Even so, you might find yourself occasionally stuck on a puzzle or two.

There are several techniques you can use to make your problem solving easier and a bit faster. First, you need to understand is that puzzle makers would never want to create a crossword puzzle that is practically unsolvable, or at least that’s what I think. Despite the difficulty levels of a crossword puzzle, there are always some give-away clues and easy answers hidden in the clue list and the boxes of the grid. The first thing you should do therefore is browse over the list and look for the easy ones. Start with those.

The next thing you should look for are repetitive clues and answers that most crossword puzzles have. If you have been doing crosswords long enough, you would be able to identify these words easily.

Once you have done both techniques, the next step would be to practice your power of deduction. If you have assembled a number of answers already on the puzzle grid, you can actually deduce the answer to some of the clues by referring to the letters of the words already available. After building your puzzle solving experience, soon enough you will develop a high level of deduction skill.

Also, here’s a very useful tip. When you find that a clue is telling you or pointing you towards an answer that is a singular, present-tense verb or a plural noun, there’s a big chance that the right word ends with an “s”.

And lastly, have a couple of references or at least a dictionary by your side. Crossword puzzles are learning tools. If it encourages you to read and look for the answers, then I don’t see any problems with that. Others might call this cheating but in my book it is not.

If you have been doing crosswords for a long time now, you might have noticed that it takes a certain amount of brain activity to process and solve all the clues and finish filling up all the white boxes on the puzzle grid. So the question of does crosswords keep the mind healthy has been one of the more frequent ones being linked to crosswords.

Studies have been conducted on how certain activities enhance or influence the brain. Now it is common knowledge that the brain becomes dull when left unused, which may not be the best term to use but the simplest one to help drive the point. It is also a known fact that most elderly people who have kept their minds and body active are livelier and healthier compared to those who did not but belong to the same age.

Of course, crossword puzzles are not the only thing that can keep the mind active. Others involve mathematics other than word play. But crosswords apply to most people since not all are mathematical geniuses or have the stomach to tackle numbers, fractions, and equations. So, most people prefer tackling crossword puzzles instead. Now as people, especially the elderly, practice crossword puzzle solving everyday, they will eventually become good at it. The feeling of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment can also help the emotional and psychological well-being of the elderly.

This health of mind relationship with crossword puzzles has already been explored with various diseases. The possible influences the game has on the brain and how it relates to a healthier and longer life is still not conclusive. Nonetheless, some findings suggest that activities that engage the brain to process helps people remain sharp and mindful.

Although, some studies and experts negate what people think about crossword puzzles and brain or overall health. The fact of the matter is that there are no conclusive findings yet which would indicate with finality and assertiveness that crosswords can cure or prevent brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

According to some studies, what engaging in crossword puzzles can do to the brain is to improve fluency or the ability to find words. Of course, if you do practice crossword puzzles long enough, you get trained and become better at it. So even though crossword puzzles cannot be attributed as the overall direct relief of a certain brain ailment or condition, engaging in such activities still helps improve some of the functions of the brain.

Here are the things we found so far: intellectual activities, including of course, crossword puzzle solving has the potential to prevent brain disease. So even though it is not proven that crosswords can prevent Alzheimer’s, it has been found out that regular brain exercises can actually reduce the risk of contracting the disease by half. Crossword puzzles join activities like chess, board games, card games, sodoku, reading, playing musical instruments, and ballroom dancing.

The key element in keeping the brain healthy and reducing the effect of ageing is the right combination of brain exercise. Crosswords puzzlers are good but it has been found out that no single brain enhancement activity can actually provide a complete brain workout. It is usually a combination of various activities both mentally and physically which can help maintain a sharp and active mind.

Crossword puzzles are not just puzzles. Sure, when the first crossword puzzle came in 1913, the intention was to add some for of entertainment in the pages of The New York Globe. And years after that, crossword puzzles became a phenomenon and entered a fad phase. It became such a popular game that libraries fell short of banning people from accessing reference books since they were disturbing those who legitimately need dictionaries and encyclopedias like students, professors, and researchers.

Today, however, the crossword is still a popular medium of entertainment and some people feel that their day is just not complete if they don’t finish a puzzle on their favorite daily newspaper. But crosswords can be more than that. Crosswords as a learning tool can in fact be explored further since the practice of such in a classroom can yield some encouraging and interesting results.

As an educator, you have the responsibility to pass on your knowledge and skills to your students. There are a number of tools at your disposal as well as teaching techniques in order to maximize the absorption and increase the understanding of what you are teaching. May it be English literature, physics, Chemistry, biology, or mathematics, students need to grasp the general concepts, theories, and facts about their field for them to successfully apply their skills when they face the real world after graduation. It is on the educator’s hands to teach or moderate learning.

In some courses, creating crossword puzzles can totally work to increase the learning curve. The difficulty of each puzzle will depend on the level of the students. But, crossword puzzles can be tailored fit for every possible subject. Through creating customized word puzzles, both teachers and students can study their curriculum through a whole new method.

The good thing about crossword puzzles is that they encourage logical thinking. And of course vocabulary can be enhanced and the practice of writing the correct spelling is also a benefit. Reasoning and deduction are also being honed in crossword puzzles. When applied to a certain subject as a teaching tool, students will be able to remember specific subjects, theories or ideas related to their course since in order to fill in the boxes in a crossword grid, people need to answer the clues first which can refer to terms related to the course.

The puzzles are also less intimidating tools for teaching which works well on some people. But expect that some students will not appreciate having this as one of your learning tools. Nonetheless, with crossword puzzles, students will be able to practice their skills in evaluating options and of course drawing up possible conclusions. These of course come from improved deduction skills.

Although, a little minor effect, crossword puzzles can also encourage students to hit the books to get the right answers. Encouraging them to read more on their own is a good thing for any teacher and is beneficial in the long run for students.

Puzzle solving can also be applied outside the classroom. It can be used for adult education especially in areas where people are already hesitant to new knowledge and skills being comfortable with what they have today. The possibilities of using crossword puzzles to teach and educate can still be explored and the techniques further improved.

It’s always fun to tackle crosswords puzzles. It helps stimulate the mind and keep it sharp which is way better than not doing anything at all. If you do the latter, you’ll end up bored and leave your brain building up cobwebs. And if you do nothing long enough, you’ll probably end up with a memory problem or even a brain disease. One of the more obvious benefits of exercising crossword puzzle solving is improving your vocabulary. Crosswords and vocabulary have always been considered interrelated, one affecting the other.

Crosswords puzzles have been around for a while now. Since it was first published in 1913, it has always found itself printed in newspapers and magazines. Books have been published about it and various book of puzzles have been released. Puzzle makers continue to create crosswords for the enjoyment of everyone and so I don’t think they will stop anytime soon.

We all know that a crossword puzzle is composed of clues to answers that are arranged horizontally and vertically on a puzzle grid. The crisscrossing letters should in most puzzles create valid words themselves. The clues can be as vague or as easy as the puzzle maker decides. The time it will take you to answer the clues and complete the puzzle is directly proportional to how wide your general knowledge is or at times on a certain subject. The latter is true for crossword puzzles created for a specific field, like a biology crossword or a politically influenced one.

Now because the puzzle does not actually show the words, only the spaces available in the puzzle grid, you can deduce what to right based on the clues provided. However, since clues can be very difficult to cipher at times, people find it easier to answer a crossword puzzle if they have a wider set of vocabulary. Of course, to some or a lot of extent this is true. But you can learn a lot from frequenting those puzzle sections on the papers. As you gain more experience with solving puzzles, you will realize that solving crossword puzzles is not always about having a wider vocabulary. Admittedly it helps, but there are other ways to solve puzzles without basing it too much on your knowledge of various words.

Some of these techniques involve the power of deduction. For example, the clue might be so ambiguous that when you try solving it on your own you’ll end up stuck. What you do is refer to the other words already laid out on the puzzle grid. By looking at the letters, you might be able to construct the right answers.

Focusing on vocabulary development, the effects of crossword puzzles have been observed to be more apparent for the elderly and children. For the elderly, the crossword puzzles are there to help stimulate the mind and keep them active. Meanwhile, the effects of puzzles on children are quite different. The development of children’s mental development can be assisted by crossword puzzles. The crosswords can be considered in the same level as educational toys and games.

Indeed, crossword puzzles can be of great assistance to people who want to improve their vocabulary. However, without reading and exploring other stories or articles, your vocabulary will be limited on how to spell the words and their meanings but you might find it difficult to get the proper usage for these words.

Okay, so you have answered a crossword puzzle (whether it is with or without any reference), but can truly say that you know important facts about the world’s most brilliant and played word puzzle?

Crossword puzzle has been around for decades. It has developed enthusiasts and haters alike, haters for those who were unable to finish one. According to some survey done recently, there are approximately 40 million people in the United States who answered the crossword puzzles daily.

Let check some amazing facts about crossword puzzles.

• Crossword puzzle creators are called “cruciverbalists”. Creating crosswords is called cruciverbalism. It came from the Latin word for cross and word. This term is rarely used, most of the times crossword creators are referred to as constructors. Outside the United States, crossword creators are also called setters or compliers.

• Word square puzzles were found in the ruins of Herculaneum in Pompeii. This can be said as the oldest “ancestor” of crossword puzzles. In these puzzles, the words appear vertically and horizontally. This is often referred to as the Sator word square.

• Arthur Wynne of England is the first creator of a crossword puzzle. It was first published in 1913.

• The first published crossword puzzle appeared in The New York World.

• The first crossword puzzle book was published and released by Simon & Schuster in 1920s. this signalled the craze over crossword puzzle.

• The first editor of the published crossword puzzle book was Margaret Petherbridge. When she got married, she was better known as Margaret Farrar.

• Because of the heights of the popularity of crossword puzzles in 1920s, there was a musical played on Broadway called Puzzles of 1925. The play was set in a crossword sanitarium.

• According to Publishers Weekly, during the 1920s there were 2 schools of puzzle solution. The first one are those who armed themselves with dictionaries, gazetteers and Latin phrase books. The second school is for those “who’d rather die in flames than consult a book.”

• Dell is the longest running crossword magazine in the United States since it was founded in 1931. It is still available in news stands until now.

• Crossword enthusiasts did not just settle with a musical, they asked for more. There was a music sheet inspired y a crossword puzzle in 1935. The sheet music showed a couple doing a crossword puzzle. It was called “Cross Words Between Sweetie and Me.”

• France banned the use of crossword during the Second World War for the fear that messages can reach the enemy through the puzzles. Actually, in 1944 there was a commotion in England when some telegraph solvers believed that some clues in a crossword puzzle were used to tip the Germans about military plans.

• The New York Times published its first crossword in 1930. The New York Times initially show disgust with the crossword craze. They said that it was only a temporary madness and will only last until the end of the 1920s. That did not happen and eventually they released their own first Sunday crossword puzzle.

• The Japanese have their own crossword version called nonogram but it does involve any word clues.

• The Guinness Book of Records say that the largest crossword is 7’X7’ in size, 91,000 squares and 28,000 clues. The largest published crossword puzzle has 3,185 clues across and 3,149 clues down. Robert M. Stilgenbauer, the creator, took 11 years of spare time to finish it.

• The fasted completion time of a New York Times crossword puzzle was set by Stanley Newman in 1996. He finished in within 2 minutes and 14 seconds. Completion of the London Times crossword lasted for 3 minutes and 45 seconds. It was set by Roy Dean on 1970.

And you thought you knew everything about crossword puzzles. Happy puzzling

Most people would do crossword puzzles in their homes, in their work stations, and in a very peculiar situation, in their bathrooms. But since the day crossword puzzle became a hit during the 1920s, it became a competitive sport where people would compete with each other to get the best solver of the crossword puzzle.

One of the most famous and widely popular crossword puzzle tournament is the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament or the ACPT. The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is a annually event organized by Will Shortz. This competition started in 1978 and was first launched in late February of the year. The contest is usually held ruing late February until early March.

The ACPT became the largest and oldest, well attended crossword competition in the United States in 2009 alone, there were about 700 competitors who participated in the event. This competition is held in the United States, for the last 30 years the Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut became its home. Because of in increasing popularity and increasing number of participants, organizers felt the need for looking a bigger place. Thus, the ACPT moved the competition in Brooklyn, New York in Marriott Brooklyn Bridge in 2008.

What is the mechanics of the tournament?

There are seven rounds and in each round there is a puzzle which all of the competitors and participants should solve. Puzzles are different in each round. It is different in terms of sizes and difficulty. Criteria for judging would include the accuracy of solving and the speed of solving the puzzle.

After being judged for the different criteria, they will be scanned, scored and afterwards ranked. There are three divisions: the A, B, and C. In each division, the top three scorers would progress to the final round.

The final round would have a gain crossword puzzle that the final three contestants would be solving in front of the tournament spectators. The contestants would be wearing noise-blocking headphones to block sounds coming from spectators and commentators. The winner of the final puzzle will be declared as the tournament champion.

There are different prizes to acknowledge the range of those who participated in the tournament. There would be prizes for solvers in other skills divisions and for rookies. There are also awards for age and geographical division winners.

The first ACPT only had five puzzles constructed by Maura Jacobson, Jordan Lasher, Jack Luzzatto, Tap Osborn and Jake Steinhardt. The first winner of the tournament was a housewife from Queens, New York named Nancy Schuster.

Tyler Hinman is the current ACPT champion. He has already won the tournament for five consecutive times. He first won at the age of 20 back in 2005, he continued his winning streak after that. That is the longest reign of a champion in the 32 year history of ACPT. He first competed in ACPT at the tender age of 16, he placed 101 out of the 322 contestants.

ACPT is not the only crossword tournament, but it is highly regarded since it is the longest and most participated crossword puzzle tournament in the United States. In London, there is also a crossword puzzle tournament called the Times Crossword Championship.

The Times Crossword Championship started in 1970 where there were 20,000 people who were able to get through the first stage. There were three rounds where each round would have a puzzle they need to work on. Those who have survived the first three rounds were invited to participate in the last round where they would have to answer 4 more puzzles.

The winner of the Rimes Crossword Championship was Roy Dean, an office diplomat. After the fist year of the tournament, he became consistent in participating in the finals. He is now a crossword puzzle creator for the Times.

Crossword puzzles are not only for fun, they can also be used to test our knowledge. Using this as a tool to engage kids in academics is considered to be an effective way.
Educators find these kinds of exercises and puzzles are great way to engage children in participating in class activities.

There are times when children who are attending home school request a lot of breaks. To minimize these breaks, there could puzzles like this. Children would not notice that these are still part of the regular class, they would think that this is an intermission period for rest

Crossword puzzles and other word puzzles can develop the children’s way of thinking and their behaviour. These puzzles can also improve the children’s reading, comprehension, logic and their vocabulary. To answer puzzle questions, children may have to research or look for answers in books, internet, dictionary, atlas and other medium of instruction.

Spelling is also among the grey subjects where a child can improve on while using crosswords are exercises. With regular classes, children are given a list of words they need to be familiar with. With crossword puzzles, children get to remember the words without exerting too much efforts memorizing. Why did they remember? Because they did not merely memorized it, they learned it through looking for its meanings in different ways.

Another good thing about crossword puzzles is that they always provide challenge. Children develop a sense of wanting to find all the answers and completing something academically related. When kids finish the crossword, they experience a sense of achievement and would be encouraged to learn more.

Different parts of language and grammar can be included in word puzzles like crosswords. What are these?

• Vowels and consonant sounds
• Syllables
• Singular and plural
• Vocabulary-nouns, verbs, adjectives
• Tenses
• Antonyms
• Synonyms
• Homonyms and homophones
• Anagrams

For younger children, you can include phonics to introduce the relationship between letters and sounds. Puzzles for older children, you can introduce synonyms, antonyms and other types of words. You can also create crossword puzzles to test the level of the comprehension. There could be stories and puzzles can be created out of it.

Make sure that the puzzles are age-appropriate. Also, do not forget to make them the puzzles creative and imaginative. This would make answering crossword puzzles both fun and educational.

The main benefit of letting children answer puzzles is that their imagination, creativity and sometimes even self-respect develop. Patience is also something they learn from puzzles. Children who answer puzzles become familiar with overcoming challenges and having enough patience to do so.

Crossword puzzles can also be a family affair. The whole family can have fun solving them and making the bond among the family members stronger. There are crossword dictionaries that could be purchased which can help in figuring our tricky crossword puzzles.

Technology has made everything easier nowadays. You can make custom crossword puzzles in your home so that you can engage your children with them and make it a daily habit, if possible. You can search for a program over the internet and download it to make your own puzzle. Free downloads are just a click away, while some software for crossword making may cost some serious bucks.

Generally, puzzles are good tools for the development of young children especially their motor skills and cognitive development. Puzzles like jigsaw are quite popular since the shape sorting and image grouping exercise improves their problem solving skills. Crossword puzzles for children development is also a recognized approach. Of course, the applicability and difficulty of crossword puzzles to be used in order to have the most significant impact will depend on the child’s age and probably their level of learning.

It is indeed important for children to be presented with puzzles appropriate to their age group. The reason behind this is the fact that children can easily become frustrated if they are unable to solve problems or puzzles. This only means that their level of development is not yet ready for a puzzle that complex. It would be best, therefore, to reduce the level of difficulty of the kind of crossword puzzles you give your child.

Other puzzles promote motor skills, but with crosswords memory, language and numeric skills are the ones being honed. With these kinds of puzzles, you don’t leave the problem solving to your child alone. You do the problem solving exercise together at first and eventually reduce the number of times you help him/her until such time that your child can solve the crossword on their own. If children are able to solve puzzles on their own on a regular basis, they feel a sense of accomplishment and they will feel good of themselves.

In terms of levels, the crossword puzzles should be given to children ages of around seven or younger. At this age, your child is able to identify words and phrases and will be able to understand the clues. Younger kids will learn the blocks of objects puzzles as well as word search puzzles first. And as they grow older, they will move up the ladder of puzzles like the jigsaw and then when they grow a few years older, the crossword would be the one they will tackle next. Crossword puzzles will teach your kid vocabulary, reasoning skills, spelling, and word attack skills.

Parents can easily get some crossword puzzles on the Web. The newspaper published puzzles might be too difficult for your child. Get them the appropriate puzzles or you can create one yourself. Child development experts have already recognized the importance of building vocabulary knowledge and word power through the use of crossword puzzles. The parents can have a specific theme for each crossword puzzle. That would be easier for the kids. Crosswords that have themes like animals in the zoo, pets, shapes, colors, and basic verbs and nouns or even objects found in the room , kitchen or dining area are some interesting theme for children. These puzzles also encourage them to look around their environment and identify the things they see.

Just remember that these kinds of puzzles are just to create a spark of interest in your children. You don’t have to force them to accept the puzzles that you present. Encourage them, that is the main idea. They might protest at some point but let them be. Create more interesting puzzles to keep them interested.

If you find the puzzles to be too easy for them, increase the difficulty of the puzzles you make the next time around. Always observe your kids and see what works for them now.

Crosswords have been capturing the interests of many for decades. Since it graced The New York World in 1920s, it never looked back. It became a world-wide phenomenon with a lot of people trying to solve the hardest crossword puzzles ever.

To answer crossword puzzles, of course, you deeply rely on the clues. There are different kinds of clues a crossword uses. Knowing the types of clues make it highly possible for you to answer and finish the crossword.

• Straight or Quick

Simple and quick clues are the most simple definitions. Sometimes they would be in anagrams making it easy to decipher. However, there would be instances when a straight clue is not enough to figure out the answer, like in cases of synonyms.

We should also pay attention in the clues itself, when clues are in past or present tense. The answer would be in the same tense as the clue. Other straight or quick clues are those fill-in-the-blank clues which is where you can start solving the puzzle.

If there is a question mark in the end o the clue, it can be a pun, a metaphor or a wordplay. There are also straight clues which require colloquial answers. Colloquial answers or words would include whaddya, init, asif, etc.

Common three-letter answers are abbreviations are also used as answers. It is included or indicated in the clue. When asking for a PC key, there are also three letter keys like ESC, ALT, etc. Three letter answers can also be used when the clues are asking for directions or compass points.

• Crossword Themes

Crossword puzzles have themes. These themes are great clues when figuring out the words in puzzle. When the theme is identified, then the other words would have some degree of relationship, pun or somehow related with the theme word. An example of a theme, is a category theme where all the answers of the puzzle belong to one set.

Themes can be extremely unusual sometimes. One can identify the theme by answering the longest word or sometimes the constructor would incorporate the theme in the title of the crossword puzzle.

• First Entries

These kind of clues actually combine a few words into a phrase. This kind of clue is popular among British newspapers.

• Indirect clues

Some clues are metaphorical in nature. With this clues, the answer is not in their literal meaning. There would be times when the constructor would end the clue with a question mark to signify that it is a metaphor.

• Clues for cryptic crosswords

The clue itself has its own puzzle. This kind of clue has a definition at the beginning or end of the clue. Most of the times, the length of the answers are stated in a parenthesis after the clue. Cryptics whould also use homophobes and different kinds of wordplays. Cryptics would also include anagram clues and embedded clues. These kind of clues are more prevalent in United Kingdom.

• Double clue lists

There are times when one crossword grid can have two sets or lists of clues, one in straight and the other one cryptic. The solution can be different or the same. When the solution is the same, the straight clue sometimes serves as a reinforcement for the cryptic clue. This kind of format, enables both beginner and experts to work the same puzzle.

Crossword puzzles refer to group of words that are arranged horizontally and vertically. This is designed this way so that each of the word will cross at least one other word though a letter that is common to both. Unlike before that crossword puzzles can only be found in newspapers, now people can solve it through published books and other compilations as well as in online.

WHY SOLVE CROSSWORD PUZZLES?

Many people—especially those that are in the field of computer such as programmers and technician, those in the field of writing such as scribes and editors, as well as those in the field of education such as professors and teachers—are getting hooked in solving crossword puzzles. Their common reason: it is a good exercise for the mind.

Aside from stretching the possibilities of your mind, here are other benefits in solving crossword puzzles:

1. It lightens the person's mood. People who play crossword puzzles are believed to have lighter moods compared to those who don’t because they have an outlet to their emotions. If one solves a crossword puzzle, his or her energy will be diverted into it and will lead him or her to a lighter feeling once the puzzle is finished.

2. It keeps the wits sharp. Puzzle solvers as well as medical experts would agree that by solving crossword puzzles, the wits get sharper and sharper everyday because the mind is being exercised to think more.

3. It gives a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. People who are hooked into solving crossword puzzles agree that after a puzzle has been completed, they get a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment that they don’t get from other activities. This is because crossword puzzles enable the player to see the challenge starting from the very start till the very end. Once the boxes or spaces have been filled out with a word or words, it gives the player a very satisfying feeling for completing a seemingly simple but hard task.

4. It encourages people to have time alone for themselves. Puzzles in general are considered as "solitary activities" because only one person is needed to solve it. But since it is played by a single person only, it encourages people to have some time alone by themselves to think and reflect.

5. When played regularly, it lowers the percentage of risk of dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurological disorders. Medical experts reported that people who are solving crossword puzzles at least five times a week have lesser risks for dementia compared to those who solve these only once a week. This is because crossword puzzles encourage the mind to be exercised to find the answers.

6. It aids relaxation. Solving crossword puzzles provides relaxation to the person's the body, mind, and soul. For some, solving crossword puzzle serves as a form of relaxation because it gives the person some time off to the busy world outside.

7. It helps people to live a healthier life in general. Solving crossword puzzles helps people to free themselves from various vices and addictions such as alcohol and cigarettes as well as in various medications such as tranquilizers and narcotics. Since solving crossword puzzles would take so much of the person's time, he or she could veer away from many unhealthy as well as depressing thoughts.