Scrambled Headline Showdown

Quick Win

An easy wordplay competition engages the brain and promises a fun time with friends.

Try This Today

• Play with two or more people. Each person gets a sheet of paper and pencil or pen.
• Using a headline from a newspaper or journal article, rearrange the letters to create as many new words as you can.
• “Buffalo sets new snow record” could generate words like loaf, decorate, fawn, etc.
• Set a one-, two- or five-minute time limit for responses.
• The person with the most new words wins! You can also compete for longest word or funniest word. 

Why

You can use the words and phrases you read every day to play a quick word game that gets your mind working and offers an opportunity to have fun with your crew. “The weight of evidence suggests that social engagement helps maintain thinking skills and slows cognitive decline in later life,” according to AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health 2017 report “The Brain and Social Connectedness.”