Ideas for Games in a Newsletter

Many businesses, non-profit organizations, hobby clubs and associations create a regular newsletter to keep its employers or members informed of upcoming events or items of interest. While the bulk of the newsletter is usually intended to convey information, there may be the time when the editor simply runs out of ideas, and "filler" is needed to take up empty space and create a more balanced layout. Newsletter editors may also wish to provide entertainment value to an otherwise dry publication. Word puzzles are an example of a typical game that might fit in a newsletter, and there are software programs that can help create these games.

A perennial favorite, crossword puzzles have been around for almost one hundred years. When faced with a few minutes of downtime, or a long commute, it's almost hard not to fill in at least a few words of a crossword puzzle when it's sitting in front of your face. Creating a personalized crossword puzzle with words and concepts that are affiliated with an organization is clever and simple-to-do with free software. Most software programs ask for a list of word and clues and the program fills in the diagram of the puzzle, which can be saved or imported into the word processor or desktop publishing software used to create the newsletter layout.

armoredpenguin.com/crossword/

Every brain could use a good workout, and brain teaser puzzles are a great way to keep mentally sharp and expand your mind. According to goodhousekeeping.com, keeping your mind active keeps arterial aging, immune-system aging, and accidents in check. Brain teasers range from reasoning puzzles to riddles, and since they are typically text, these free puzzles can be copied from the website and inserted into a newsletter without a lot of design time. They can be made with any font or any size to conform to newsletter style guidelines.

rinkworks.com/brainfood/ scientificpsychic.com/mind/mind1.html

Word search is another pleasant diversion that can boost cognitive skills. Word search is a lot of real words that are hidden among non-sensical words in vertical, horizontal or diagonal orientation. The idea is to identify and find them by circling them. With a free online program, an editor can create a word search puzzle by entering words, people's names or phrases that are fun or meaningful to an organization. When finished, clicking the "Make Puzzle" button generates a clean puzzle that can then be printed from the website and inserted into the newsletter.

armoredpenguin.com/wordsearch/