MenteBrillante
Crosswords you can read without a magnifying glass
The newspaper crossword is one of the best-loved puzzles there is, but it has five-millimetre squares and cryptic clues. These are the opposite: small grids with big squares, five words per crossword and straightforward clues you can answer without a dictionary. One per page, in black and white, with the number of letters next to each clue.
They are made for older adults, for anyone coming back to crosswords after a long break and for anyone who has never done one and wants to start. They also work well with children from about ten.
Doing them as a group
- Read the clues out loud. One person reads, the group answers, and everyone writes on their own sheet.
- Start with the easiest. There is no need to go in order: the first word you get gives letters for the others.
- Count the letters. If an answer will not fit, the number in brackets tells you before you write it in.
More large-print sheets
To keep going with words: large-print word searches and finish the proverb. For memory and numbers, the memory activities and the maths worksheets for seniors.
Once the easy crosswords feel comfortable, try level 2: grids of seven words, a little more vocabulary and still no cryptic clues. Each one has been checked by hand, so the clues are plain English and every answer is a word people actually use.
And for the next step up, there are printable arrow words: the easy level prints with squares over two centimetres wide, although the clues sit inside the grid in smaller type than here.
