Sudoku Enhances Problem Solving Skills in Children

Children are natural learners. Traditional theories of child development have concluded that children enter different stages of learning as they progress in age. New theories, based on much research, suggest that children actually learn in a nonlinear fashion. Instead of moving from one stage of learning to another, children apparently learn to use several strategies at the same time in order to solve problems and learn new information. Some of the strategies children use to learn have actually appeared earlier than previously thought.

As children approach school age and ultimately enter school, they are capable of more complex problem solving strategies. This is where logic puzzle games such as Sudoku are beneficial to brain development. In fact Great Britain's government has recommended Sudoku puzzles be used in the classroom as brain exercises.

Sudoku is a popular math logic game that has similarities in appearance to crossword puzzle grids. Sudoku is also printed on a grid that is nine squares high by nine squares wide. The grid is further divided into three 3 x 3 squares sections. The numbers one through nine must only appear once in a row, a column, or a section. Clues are given by placing a number in various selected squares. The player must decide which numbers should be assigned to the remaining squares so that a solution is reached without violating the numbers appear only once rule.

Sudoku has an obvious advantage over problem solving games such as crossword puzzles. Math is a universal language and is not restricted to geographic area or culture. No mathematical calculations are required in Sudoku, only logic and deduction. The puzzles range from easily solved to advanced and extremely difficult. And there is only one correct answer to each puzzle.

The advantages of teaching Sudoku to children are many. The first is that a child uses logical reasoning appropriate to his or her age level in solving the puzzle. This can be accomplished by putting in more clues to make the puzzles easier. Sudoku puzzles constructed with various degrees of difficulty allow the child to develop at his or her own rate.

Sukoku puzzles teach children to use various problem solving strategies such as "guess and check" that translate to other areas of life. These puzzles are fun. They also develop logic and reasoning skills. Sudoku also teaches thinking, flexibility, and creativity. They can help children develop positive attitudes toward mathematics in general. Last, teaching children problem solving in this manner has an additional payoff. The problem solving skills learned in Sudoku are similar in approach to learning other subjects in elementary school.