Pen and Paper Puzzles

If you love to sharpen your mind and boost your brain power, or just sit down and relax with a book of puzzles, here’s some great news. With a few tips and the right gear, you can enjoy crossword, Sudoku, or word search puzzles and more–no matter your level of vision. So pull up a chair and grab your pen. We’ve got the clues to get you started.

The first thing to know is There are plenty of puzzles in large print versions. And some are available in braille, too. Keep in mind that print and grid sizes may be different from book to book. For example, some books are labeled “extra large” or “jumbo.” So you can choose the size and contrast that works best for you.

You can also print your own large print puzzles from the Internet. Many are available as PDFs that you can open with Adobe Reader. And you can even increase the size before you print. Reach out to a Hadley learning expert if you have questions.

Of course, you don’t have to be a print-only puzzler. You can also find online puzzles or download an app on your smartphone to play games.

Now if pen and paper is your choice, you can find just the right pen to make your puzzle work easier to see. Using a dark marker with a bold tip helps prevent smudging. And it makes your letters and numbers easier to read. You can even find erasable markers that let you try an answer and change it later. Check out the resource section for ideas.

Once you’re ready to settle in with a puzzle and a pen, be sure to have a lamp nearby to help you shed some light on things. Using a desk or floor lamp with adjustable arms makes it even easier to light up your page and see it more clearly. Hadley’s workshop on Low Vision: Let’s Talk Lighting offers more helpful tips. You can also use a handheld magnifier to help boost your vision. Even better, a digital handheld magnifier lets you enlarge the text and change the color and contrast. And if you tear out a page from your book and place it on a reading stand, that frees up your hands to hold your magnifier in the right place. Check out our workshop series on magnifiers to learn more.

If your favorite puzzling pastime is word search or crosswords, crossing off each word or clue with a bold marker as you solve it helps you mark your progress, and keep your place. It also keeps the page less cluttered so you can focus on the clues you haven’t solved yet.

And one handy trick for word search puzzles is to focus on the letters that are clearest at your level of vision. For example, if you notice that a combination like O-N stands out for you, search for those letters instead of looking for the beginning of the word.

You can also place a ruler on the page or a piece of paper in a contrasting color to help you focus on a single line of text. Learning to use visual tracking and scanning techniques can also be useful to help you look through a word search and keep your place on the page. You can find handouts for these methods in our workshop, Low Vision: From the Corner of Your Eye. Tracking and scanning techniques are also helpful for crosswords. And it helps to use brightly colored paper to keep track of the clue and the section of the puzzle you’re working on.

And don’t be shy about inviting others to join in. Friends and family members can help by reading the clues out loud.

There are different types of crossword puzzles. And some offer more contrast, so they can be easier to see. For example, free-form or criss-cross puzzles give words instead of clues, and you can figure out where they fit.

You can also find many crossword puzzles online, where you can enlarge the puzzle and use your screen reader to hear the clues. There’s even a set of tools designed for puzzlers who are visually impaired. Check out the resources for information.

Now let’s take a look at sudoku. If you’re working on a sudoku puzzle with low vision, you might find all those squares can look a little overwhelming. One way to simplify things is to highlight the border lines–the lines that divide every third row and every third column–with a bright or contrasting color. It can also be helpful to use strips of bright or contrasting paper to block off a row, a column, or a 3-by-3 square when you want to focus. You can use this method to scan 1 row or column, 3 rows or 3 columns, or one 3-by-3 square at a time. It’s also useful for double-checking an area after you find an answer.

Another great way to play sudoku is to use a braille sudoku board. In fact, this is a great game for anyone, even if you don’t read braille. The board has a 9-by-9 grid with holes instead of squares, and the numbers are on plastic pegs. The pegs have raised braille as well as embossed numerals, and each number is a different color. For example, all the 1’s are black, the 2’s are red, and so on. That makes the different pegs stand out more. And you can even play by focusing on the colors instead of the numbers. Check out the resource list for information.

And while you’re exploring new games, why not look into other puzzles like cryptograms, Kakuro, anagrams, and jumbles. A Hadley learning expert can help you learn more.

No matter what game you’re playing, remember to relax and avoid eye strain. It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re excited about solving a puzzle. But be sure to take a break now and then, and focus on something else. Walk away for a moment and give your eyes and your brain a chance to rest. You’ll come back refreshed and ready to start solving.

As always, if you need more information, or you've got your own tips to share, contact a Hadley learning expert. Of course, as with anything new, give yourself time, patience, and practice, and you'll get there.