Puzzles for People with Dementia: Jigsaws, Word Puzzles and Easy Online Puzzles

A jigsaw spread out on the dining table is one of the easiest activities to share. You can sit together without needing to talk, the picture gives you something to chat about, and putting in the last piece feels good. Puzzles do need to change as dementia changes, though. A puzzle that is too hard can turn a calm afternoon into a frustrating one. This page covers how to choose and set up jigsaws, word puzzles and easy online puzzles, and what to do when they get hard.

Are puzzles good for people with dementia?

Many people enjoy them, especially those who did puzzles before. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America lists word finds, card games and board games among activities for the early stage, and the NHS mentions online games and puzzles on tablets as one way to stay engaged.

Puzzles are not a treatment. No puzzle has been shown to slow or stop dementia; our guide to brain games and dementia explains the research. The reason to do a puzzle is that it can be a pleasant, absorbing hour together. The Alzheimer’s Association sums it up: focus on enjoyment, not achievement.

How do you choose a jigsaw puzzle for someone with dementia?

Go by what the person enjoys and how the last puzzle went, not by a stage label.

Number of pieces

There is no correct number. A lifelong puzzler may still enjoy a few hundred pieces early on, while someone else is happiest with a dozen. A practical rule: if the last puzzle felt like work, choose one with roughly half the pieces. If it was finished quickly and they wanted more, go up a little.

Piece size and feel

• Larger pieces are easier to see, pick up and turn.
• Thick, sturdy pieces stay put and survive being dropped.
• A matte finish reduces glare under lamps and windows.
• Avoid tiny pieces if the person might put things in their mouth, which can happen later in dementia.

The picture

• Adult subjects. Gardens, kitchens, old cars, farm animals, a seaside town, a favorite sport. Not cartoons or anything that looks like a children’s toy.
• Distinct areas of color. A red barn, a blue boat and a green field are easier than a sky that fills half the puzzle.
• Familiar and personal. A picture of a place they lived or a hobby they loved gives you plenty to talk about. Some print shops can turn a family photo into a jigsaw.

How do you do a puzzle together?

Set it up so the person can get straight to the enjoyable part.

1. Pick a good spot. Good light, a chair with arms, and a table or tray where the puzzle can stay out.
2. Prop up the box lid where you can both see it.
3. Turn the pieces face up before you start.
4. Sort the edges yourself, or do the border first and leave the middle for them.
5. Group pieces by color into a few shallow trays or plates.
6. Hand over one piece at a time if the pile is overwhelming. “I think this one is part of the barn.”
7. Talk about the picture, not the progress. “That looks like the boat my dad had.”
8. Leave it out. Come back to it over several days. There is no hurry.
9. Stop on a good note, after a piece goes in, while it still feels pleasant.

The National Institute on Aging advises helping the person get started, watching for frustration and letting them simply watch if they enjoy that more. Watching you put pieces in, and pointing out where one might go, is still taking part.

Easy online puzzles

A tablet puzzle has some real advantages: no lost pieces, large pictures that fill the screen, and no table to clear.

Our free Picture puzzle cuts a picture into 4 or 9 pieces. Tap two pieces to swap them until the picture is whole. The complete picture stays on screen as a guide, there is no timer, and you can stop at any point. Four pieces suits many people in the middle stage with someone beside them.

For even simpler picture play, try Find the same, where you tap the picture that matches one at the top, or Sort together, where pictures go into baskets such as the kitchen or the garden.

Word puzzles: word searches and crosswords

Word puzzles suit people who always enjoyed them, usually earlier in dementia.

• Large-print word search. Our free Word search uses big letters and only a few words, running across and down, never diagonally or backward. Play it on screen or print it.
• Read the list aloud. One person reads a word, the other looks for it. Circling just the first letter is fine.
• Large-print crosswords from puzzle books can work early on. Read the clues aloud, share the pen and fill in answers together. Easy, themed crosswords are better than cryptic ones.
• Talk about the words. “Garden” can lead to ten minutes about tomatoes.

For more paper activities and how to print them so they are easy to see and hold, see free printable dementia activities.

Which puzzles suit each stage?

Stages overlap, and good and hard days are normal.

When should you make a puzzle easier, or stop?

Watch for sighing, pushing pieces away, repeated “I can’t” or worried looks. Those are signs to change something, not to push on.

• Make it smaller. Fewer pieces, or leave only the last few for them.
• Do more of it yourself and invite them to help with the easy bits.
• Switch to something nearby: sorting pieces by color, a 4-piece online puzzle, or coloring.
• Stop. Put it aside and have a cup of tea. You can come back another day, or not at all.

If puzzles start to feel like a reminder of what is hard, it is fine to let them go. There are many other ways to spend good time together; our 101 activity ideas is a good place to look.