By Connie Chow, Founder at DailyCaring
Crossword puzzles exercise the brain
Doing something that’s enjoyable and mentally stimulating can improve quality of life.
In addition to the fun, studies have shown that brain exercises can keep seniors sharper for up to 10 years longer.
And, games like crosswords may even help older adults prevent brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
To keep your older adult engaged and exercising their brain, we found a great source for free, large-print printable crossword and word search puzzles.
Here, we explain what you’ll find at their website.
Print puzzles for free, anytime
As part of their business, Q.E.T.S. offers free large print crossword and word search puzzles. They also have sets of 20 or 80 puzzle PDFs available for purchase.
We love their huge selection of free large print puzzles. They’re in PDF format so they’re easy to print.
All you need to do is open the PDF document and print it out (answers are included). You could also save the PDF to your computer so you can print it again and again.
These free crossword puzzles will keep your older adult entertained and exercise their brain. You might even want to print a few for yourself to enjoy!
Pro tip: If the puzzle still isn’t large enough for your older adult to easily see, you can make it bigger by changing the print settings. Use “print preview” to make sure the puzzle still fits on the paper.
Get new puzzles every month
Every month, Q.E.T.S. publishes new free puzzles – 5 standard crosswords, 5 free form crosswords (a non-square shape), and some word search puzzles.
That’s a dozen new puzzles each month!
There’s also an extensive archive with dozens of each type of puzzle from previous months.
Examples of the large-print crossword puzzles
Here are a few scaled-down images to show you what the puzzle types look like.
When you print them, they’ll be larger than what you see here.
Example of a standard crossword puzzle
Example of a free form crossword puzzle
Example of a word search puzzle
Next Step Get free large print crossword puzzles at Q.E.T.S.
Recommended for you:
- Jigsaw Puzzles for Seniors at All Ability Levels
- Entertain and Engage Seniors with Books on Tape
- 9 Enjoyable Activities for Seniors with Limited Mobility
This article wasn’t sponsored and doesn’t contain affiliate links. For more information, see How We Make Money.
Betty Roberts
I am 95 and love to work crossword puzzles I like to print them off so I don’t have to sit at computer
DailyCaring
Crosswords are a fantastic and fun activity, we hope you enjoy these!
Kelly Edwards
Don’t know where to get the answers.
DailyCaring
The answers are on the last page of each set of printables
Lurline Geoghegan
Preferably free please!
DailyCaring
The large print crosswords linked above are free to use.
JAMES D BRYANT
Love this service. I am the caregiver for my wife. These puzzles are truly helpful.
DailyCaring
Thanks James! So glad this is helpful!
Martha Jean
Please add help information so I would be able to participate.
Connie Chow
Hi Martha, Click the “Next Step” link to go directly to the website that offers dozens of free puzzles. Have fun!
JAMES SMITH
WILL EACH COPY OF A PUZZLE REQUIRE 16 SHEATS OF PAPER. IF SO I AM NOT INTERESTED, JAMES
Connie Chow
The great thing about these puzzles is that they are in PDF format. The default print size for each puzzle fits on one piece of paper. If you want the puzzle to be larger, you can adjust the print settings. If you choose to print all the pages at the default settings, it would take 4 pieces of paper. The puzzle clues for Across and Down each print on one page. And the answer to the puzzle prints on another page. But, you can always choose to print only the pages you want.