Whether you’re playing Scrabble or word unscramble, word games are brain boosters. They force you to think, and this can reduce the odds of developing dementia later in life. Furthermore, word games can improve your memory. Let’s learn how to use word games to improve your memory.
Use It to Motivate You to Learn New Words
Imagine staring at a row of Scrabble tiles and struggling to come up with a good word. There is an obvious solution – and it starts by memorizing killer Scrabble words in the dictionary or thesaurus. You might just learn the words themselves and how they’re spelled. Or you may work on learning their definitions, too, so that you can use them to expand your vocabulary. If you’re making constant mistakes in spelling, brush up on their proper spelling.
Memorize the Rules for Winning the Game
When you’re playing word unscramble games, you could learn the tricks and tips that make it easier. This is similar to people on word guessing games memorizing the five to ten most commonly used letters in the English language. Then you don’t waste time or turns guessing words almost certain to be there. Learn the mathematical rules of unscrambling the word, and it could become a process similar to solving a Rubik’s cube by algorithm. If you realize that the game never includes proper place names or scientific words, you won’t waste time trying to make that collection of letters fit the phrase you’re thinking of.
Use It as an Excuse to Learn Something New
Let’s say you enjoy playing word unscramble games or crosswords. Buying books or paying for apps to let you play the game are expensive over time. The solution is to learn how to use a word tool that creates the games for you. It may be a software application that lets you create games of varying difficulties or novel variations. Or you could use it to jumpstart your understanding of another language, be it Spanish or HTML. Or you could take it to the next level with anagrams.
Time Yourself
You can use the word games to improve your memory by timing yourself. It forces you to concentrate on the game. You typically work your brain harder to solve the problem in time. You’ll also get a certain thrill out of completing the word puzzle in a word or two instead of pondering it for ten minutes.
Create Word Unscrambles Based on Vocabulary Lists
This is something that can help you or your children. Create word unscrambles based on vocabulary lists. The software should create multiple word scrambles using words from the list. Playing word scrambles will exercise your short-term and long-term memory, strengthening the connections between both. Yet it is more fun than taking a spelling test, though it will test your ability to spell the word correctly. If your children are learning how to spell, they’ll subtly be reminded of proper spelling such as when they realize there is no second L in the word.