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Wake Up Your Brain! Join In National Puzzle Day

By HERWriter
 
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Wake Up Your Brain For National Puzzle Day! Alexander Savchuk/PhotoSpin

National Puzzle Day is a holiday that takes place each year on January 29th. Although not recognized as an official holiday by congress, National Puzzle Day celebrates a pastime loved by people around the world.

Puzzles have a long history beginning as early as the 1700s. The first known jigsaw puzzle was created around 1760 by John Spilsbury who was a mapmaker in London.

Spilsbury pasted a map onto wood then cut out the country shapes to create an educational toy that is still popular to this day.

National Puzzle Day celebrates puzzles of all shapes and kinds — crosswords, word search, logic puzzles, mazes and many more. You can join in the fun simply by working your favorite kind of puzzle.

Make it a party by breaking out the box with a complicated jigsaw puzzle and inviting friends to share your celebration. Or pick up a newspaper or puzzle book to work a crossword or word search.

If you prefer to work your puzzles online, search for a website offering free puzzles or download a puzzle app for your smartphone.

If you love math or like working with numbers instead of words, try the number game Sudoku.

Or if you are feeling creative, make up your own puzzle or create your own crossword. Get your kids involved by using their weekly spelling words to make a crossword puzzle just for them.

Doing puzzles can be more than just a way to pass the time. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, staying mentally active can help your brain stay healthy and may even help generate new brain cells.

So don’t limit your puzzling activity to just one day. Get in the habit of keeping your brain active and keep puzzling all year long.

Sources:

Life123. Fun Ways to Celebrate National Puzzle Day. Caroline Roberts. Web. January 14, 2015.
http://www.life123.com/holidays/more-holidays/january-holidays/national-...

eHow. How to Celebrate National Puzzle Day. Susan Lundman. Web. January 14, 2015.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2020201_national-puzzle-day.html

Alzheimer’s Association. Stay Mentally Active. Web. January 14, 2015.
http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_stay_mentally_active.asp

Reviewed January 22, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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Denise DeWitt
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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