Keeping the Brain active is as important as doing physical activities to keep fit. According to a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, seniors who continue to exercise their mental abilities through crossword puzzles and other such memory exercises maintain a higher level of cognition. The study further states that these puzzles bring improvements in daily life that last for years.
For the elderly, solving crossword puzzles regularly may delay the onset of the memory decline in the initial stage of dementia, as noted in research by the National Library of Medicine.
5 Benefits of Solving Crossword Puzzles for Seniors
Here are some of the other benefits and reasons for seniors to solve crossword puzzles.
1. Fun Activity
It is a fun activity when you feel bored. There is a wide range of printable crossword puzzles for seniors and the elderly that are available for free and you only need a pen and a printed version of the puzzle to start.
2. Brain Exercise
As the Saying goes, “if you do not use it, you may lose it”. Solving puzzles is a way to stimulate the brain. Crossword puzzles develop memory skills and problem-solving abilities that may help in daily life decisions like remembering the directions or the ability to focus on the desired task.
Read More: 10 Free Printable Brain Games for Seniors
3. Relieve the Stress
By focusing on the puzzle in hand, you can turn off the noise in your head and relax your mind. This is a way to reduce stress and improve mood.
4. Increase Your Knowledge
Crossword puzzles include difficult words that force you to consult a dictionary or search on the internet. As a result, you improve your vocabulary and increase your knowledge over time. You end up learning new things about a variety of topics including science, entertainment, history etc.
5. Sense of Accomplishment
Solving a crossword puzzle is a fun activity but it requires some work and you may feel lost and frustrated sometimes. Once you figure out the puzzle and succeed in solving it, you feel a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Free Printable Crossword Puzzles for Seniors and Elderly
Out of many online resources that provide Free printable crossword for seniors, here are the best 3 websites that have a wide variety of puzzles for older adults.
1. Q.E.T.S
Q.E.T.S has a huge collection of large printable crossword puzzles for seniors that are free for personal use, senior centers, medical facilities, classrooms etc . You can download the Crossword puzzle PDF file that includes a puzzle grid, one or two definition pages and one solution page with a hidden message. You can keep PDF files on your computer to print again in the future.
Q.E.T.S has a large collection of puzzles from previous months. They also post new puzzles every month.
Get Q.E.T.S Collection of Large Printable Crossword Puzzles for FREE
2. Washington Post Daily Crossword Puzzles
Washington Post brings new crossword puzzles every day that are free to play online or you can print them to play on paper. The process of printing these puzzles is very easy. You can click on the “print” option on top of each puzzle to print it as shown below.
You can change the font size to make the print larger and have the option to make black boxes darker or lighter. The full collection of crossword puzzles is available in the “All Crossword” category along with options of individual categories of daily crossword, sunday crossword, classic crossword, monthly music meta etc.
- Get Daily Printable Crossword Puzzles from Washington Post for FREE
- Get Access to the Full Archive of Crossword Puzzles from the Washington Post
3. Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword
LA Times shares new crossword puzzles daily that you can access and print for free to play in your free time. You can explore the recently published puzzles and print the ones you like with a single click
You can play the LA Times daily crossword puzzles on your computer or mobile or print them to play on paper. The new puzzle is published every day at midnight Eastern Standard Time or 9 PM Pacific Standard Time.
You can refer to LA Times crossword FAQs for more information.
Get Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzles
Bonus Resource – CrossWords.net
CrossWords.net offers free unlimited crossword puzzles to print and play that are suitable for seniors and the elderly. They share 7 new puzzles daily which means a new puzzle every few hours. These puzzles include easier options as well.
Each Puzzle page comes with the Print option to directly print the puzzle or you can use the download option to save it in PDF format for printing later.
Print OnlineCrosswords.net Daily Crosswords Puzzles for Free
Conclusion
Having so many free resources for free printable crossword puzzles for seniors and options to solve these puzzles on your computer, mobile or paper, there is no reason to not take the fun activity of solving these puzzles and challenge your mind.
So, print a puzzle and start playing and you will have loads of fun.
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