In this day and age, almost everything is done for us, from growing food to repairing our air conditioning in Dundas. In conditions like these, it's easy for even people with the potential for intelligence to forget or even never gain some of the skills our grandparents took for granted. If you want to keep your brain sharp, doing puzzles is both fun and mentally stimulating. This guide will introduce you to some types of puzzles you might want to play around with and the benefits they will have for you.

Crossword Puzzles

If you'd like to increase your vocabulary, doing crossword puzzles will help you more than just reading the dictionary. Crossword puzzles introduce you to new words but also provide anchor clues that help tie your Cabbagetown life to the new word. You'll also become more skilled at guessing words with letters missing and spelling. Start out with the daily crossword in your local paper and keep a dictionary on hand. Pretty soon you'll be doing more challenging puzzles without the safety net.

Jigsaw Puzzles

When we've got so much to do even just around our own Toronto neighbourhoods, we don't usually make time to sit down and do a jigsaw puzzle, even if we liked them when we were kids. But doing a jigsaw can help keep your pattern recognition skills sharp. They also improve your manual dexterity and your patience. And best of all, from a health standpoint, they allow your body to relax and de-stress while your mind takes its exercise. Find jigsaw puzzles at toy and game shops or do them online.

Number Puzzles

There aren't many people who like to solve mathematical equations while their waiting their turn at an Edmonton spa, but a surprising number of people enjoy doing sudoku and other number puzzles. In this age of calculators being included on everything from computers to phones, number puzzles restore your ability to do simple math mentally. They also improve your reasoning and your pattern recognition skills. Sudoku come in the newspaper and in puzzle books and there are a variety of challenge levels from beginner to expert.

Mystery Puzzles

In the good old days there used to be brain teasers printed in the paper. They were also known as two minute mysteries and you can still find them in books and online today. They're a great way to improve your observation and reasoning skills, because often one throwaway line about aquarium lighting will be the key to the mystery. Board games like Clue and Mind Trap also make use of small, quick logic puzzles that are fun to solve. Doing them will not only keep you sharp, but help you feel smarter and more confident about your intelligence.