How Essential are Word Games – Know the Benefits

Updated on November 12, 2019

Children learn better when they have fun. Even before preschool, they begin understanding the world through puzzles and games. Humans have long delighted in such things. The Vikings loved riddles, the Romans a pun.

 In short, we like to play with our words, and that is probably the reason why word games are extremely popular with people of all ages. Yes, word games are not just for kids, even adults can play them to gain several amazing benefits. After all, why do you think people who play scrabble are considered smart?

Well, even if you’re not interested in scrabble, you can still find many word games online. And interestingly, playing those games will benefit you in many ways. For instance:

It helps Improve Spellings

 Since we tend to focus on the spoken word, word games correct misconceptions. Using online websites to check accuracy helps remember them. 

It Improves Your Vocabulary

 A child’s vocabulary can be actively encouraged by knowing words can make you the winner. Children are hotwired to collect words. Playing with words keeps the momentum going, but even adults can continue to add new words to their list by playing word games. Be sure to use a good word finder online and you will be able to add some really interesting words to your memory.

It Improves Problem Solving Skills

 Word games give children opportunities to develop problem solving skills and resilience in a non-threatening environment.  And these games help adults hone those skills they have already learned. These contribute to a bank of higher cognitive skills which include critical thinking. This skill contributes to the game play later with riskier moves.

It Improves Cognitive Ability

 Recognizing shapes, colors and objects in puzzles helps form relationships between the abstract and the concrete to make sense of the world. Understanding these relationships builds the foundation for higher concepts; cause and effect, action and consequence.

It Improves Concentration

 Both adults and children learn to focused attention. Being able to stay focused is a useful skill at any stage of life. Children have short attention spans but by modeling thinking, an adult can demonstrate how thinking gets results.

It Improves Motor Skills

  Fine motor skills take time to develop. Manipulating small object is a complex mental process for young children. Many puzzles are deliberately tactile and there is enough variety of types of word puzzle to allow progression and further development.

It Improves Social Skills

 Children have to be taught how to be social when game playing and taking turns, being patient, following rules can be challenging. At the other end of the scale there are word puzzles that focus on other higher social skills, like cooperation or team leadership.

It Improves Productivity

 Although there may be an overt learning involved such as matching or spelling, puzzles also offer much in subconscious learning. There are a myriad of puzzles and word games that make learning fun.

A child who is exposed to word games and word play early on tends to be confident reading and better equipped for writing. But word games benefit everyone. People who regularly enjoy word games stay sharper into old age. In could be our desire to play with words goes a lot deeper than we think.  

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