Have you considered using logic puzzles for kids with your children or students? Logic puzzles stimulate children to learn how to use logic, reasoning, principles of deduction and organizational skills. They also prepare kids for tests and help them learn to use the process of elimination. Why not use educational games to stimulate these wonderful mental skills while teaching spelling and vocabulary words? Try creating your own logic puzzles or look them up online. You can tailor logic puzzles to focus learning on a particular subject, or you can challenge your child with logic puzzles just for the learning experience. The following are popular logic puzzles your child might enjoy.

Hangman
Hangman is a game where you choose a word, such as a spelling word or vocabulary word, and you draw lines for each letter in the word. Your child gets to guess letters from the alphabet. If your child guesses a letter that appears in the word, you write that letter on the appropriate line. If your child guesses a letter that does not appear in the word, you draw part of a stick figure hanging from a hangman’s noose. Challenge your child to guess the word, with the appropriate spelling, before the stick figure is hung.

Paradigm Shift Games
Ever heard the puzzle about a man and a woman found dead in a cabin in the woods? After a series of questions, the guesser discovers the “cabin” was actually an airplane cabin, and the reason the people died was because the plane crashed. Paradigm shift games force your child to think outside of the box, trying out answers she might not have thought of otherwise. You can find books filled with these kinds of brainteasers, or make up your own.

Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles can help your child memorize facts for tests while having fun. Make your own crossword puzzles using clues from the textbook to help your child study.

Sudoku
Sudoku is a perfect game for learning organizational skills and practicing the process of elimination when seeking answers. It will challenge your child to learn to focus and deduce answers.

Word Search Puzzles
Word search puzzles double as spelling practice and brainteasers. Hide your child’s spelling words in a word find and send him hunting; the mere repetition of the words will help your child memorize the proper spelling.