I don’t know about you, but I love me a good brain teaser every now and again. Giving my noggin the opportunity to think about a tricky problem or puzzle, and then maybe, juuuuuust maybe, being able to solve that tricky problem or puzzle — there just ain’t a better brain workout than that. Brain teasers are often the perfect mixture of intellect and humor, and over the last few years, I’ve been noticing just how much my speech-language therapy students enjoy the mental workout that often comes along with attempting to figure out a finely-constructed brain teaser.
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I wanted to take this moment to share with you some amazing brain teasers. Why? Because we’re best friends and best friends share with one another. HEHE! Anyways, check out this list right HERE. I came across that particular list of brain teasers back in 2012, and since then, I’ve happily introduced most of ’em to the school-age clients of mine. From that list, here are my top 5 ultimate favorites:
Brain teaser #1
A man stands on one side of a river, his dog on the other. The man calls his dog, who immediately crosses the river without getting wet and without using a bridge or a boat. How did the dog do it?
- Answer: The river was frozen.
Why I like #1: This one allows me to target a bunch of aspects that relate to cause and effect. For example, if it gets REALLY cold outside, what happens to the water? It freezes. The cause of the water freezing is thanks to the cold temperature. Right? So, is my student able to comprehend that idea AND verbalize it to me in a way that I understand? Through what we do within our session, that’s exactly what I’m trying for. Good times!
Brain teaser #2
What is unusual about the following words: revive, banana, grammar, voodoo, assess, potato, dresser, uneven?
- Answer: Take the first letter of each word and place it at the end. It will spell the same word backwards.
Why I like #2: When working with the K-8 population, we almost always have conversations that touch on syntax and the overall arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. So this brain teaser that focuses on words, it allows me to further extend conversations that have to do with taking a word, changing it, and seeing how it may or may not be able to fit into the sentence we are tying to create. Very fun! (For this brain teaser, it’s best to use Scrabble letters or individually cut out letters on pieces of paper. That way, you are able to physically move around the letters to eventually show your students the answer.)
Brain teaser #3
What makes this number unique – 8,549,176,320?
- Answer: It contains each number, zero through nine, in alphabetical order.
Why I like #3: For the kiddos on your caseload who adore numbers and all things related to math, this one is guaranteed to get them thinking. When I present this one to students, I always encourage them to “talk it out while you try to figure it out.” I’ve seen students verbally explore so many different mathematical ideas, all in an effort to solve this numbers brain teaser. From adding to subtracting, to everything in between, it’s always neat to hear their thought processes, and more often than not, it gives ME great qualitative data that helps me in my efforts to continually gauge how their verbal communication skills are coming along. Woo hoo!
Brain teaser #4
Two boxers are in a match scheduled for 12 rounds. (Pure boxing only – no kicking, UFC takedowns, or anything else). One of the boxers gets knocked out after only six rounds, yet no man throws a punch. How is this possible?
- Answer: Both boxers are female.
Why I like #4: This one is the ultimate forehead slapper. You’re sure to hear a bunch of students shout, “D’oh” after getting stumped on it. This brain teaser is grand because it perfectly emphasizes the fact that we need to use our listening ears to hear and understand EACH WORD that is being said. We can’t let language tricks get the best of us! So when I say the “yet no MAN throws a punch” part, I make sure to say MAN in a way that hopefully triggers them to realize the word’s opposite, WOMAN! Hehe!
Brain teaser #5
What do these words have in common: polish, job, herb?
- Answer: All three words are pronounced differently when the first letter is capitalized.
Why I like #5: Grammar, grammar, GRAMMAR! This riddle let’s me continue to harp (in a fun way) on the importance of grammar, and more specifically, capitalization. Capitalize those proper nouns, kiddos. Don’t forget! 😉
In closing . . .
The chances are probably quite high that you have some random brain teasers book somewhere either in your office or at your house. Well, I’m here to tell you that you should bust out those books and see what hidden gems are hiding within those magical, riddle-filled pages. And if you’re in the market for an app that has a bunch of brain teasers in it, might I suggest THIS ONE? It’s called Mini-U Riddles and it’s only $2.99 on the Apple App Store. It’s ideal for the K-8 demographic and I’ve been using it for YEARS. I dig it. A lot. You will, too. Enjoy!
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