This has happened to most of us: coming across a puzzle or question in a workbook, newspaper or even from a friend that may elude you to the point that it becomes frustrating to even try.

The truth is, puzzles have always been a way for us to test our mental elasticity and even, to some degree, our intelligence. Some people are naturally good at solving puzzles and analyzing them for a solution, while others have trouble with even understanding the concept introduced by the puzzle.

Can you get better at them? Of course, with a bit of practice! Try your hand at these puzzles down below and see just how far your brain can stretch!

1. The 3 by 3 Dot Grid Puzzle

Take a moment and copy this grid down on a piece of paper. Your task is to connect all of these dots in four lines or less. Seem easy? Give it a shot. This is one of the most popular puzzles out there, but you really have to "think outside the box!" (Hint, hint)

Rules:

1. You cannot pick up your pencil. All the lines must be drawn connecting to each other.

2. No curved lines are allowed!

Click here for the solution!

(From: The Tomorrow Code, by Brian Falkner)

2. The Pond and Lily Pad Riddle

There are a certain number of lily pads in a pond, and lately the population seems to be growing ever single day. Every day, the number of the lily pads in the pond doubles. On day 48, the entire pond is full of lily pads. On what day was the pond half full?

Click here for an example answer of a similar question.

3. The House and Bear Riddle

There is a house, and all of its walls point to the south. There is also a bear circling that house. What color is the bear? Remember that the house is a legitimate house.

Click here for the answer.

4. The Circle Numbers Puzzle

What is the correlation between the numbers on the circle, and can you use it to find the missing number?

I'll say it, for this puzzle you really have to look from every angle to find a solution. Don't panic if you can't find the answer, because this one is hard.

Click here for the answer.

5. Find The Common Word

Which four-letter word can be placed at the beginning of each of these stems so that each becomes a real word?

LASH ------- LIT ------- SWING ------- FIRE ------- SPACE

(Inspired by Mensa Workout)

SOLUTIONS:

Solution to #1:

Solution to #2: Most people want to say 24, but pay close attention to how the lily pads DOUBLE, not ADD. This means that there were HALF as many lily pads in the pond one day ago as there are now, on any day. Therefore, since we need HALF of the number of lily pads there were on day 48, the answer is simply day 47.

Solution to #3: It may seem like you have no information to solve this riddle, but you must approach this one with a more logical perspective. If all the walls of a house face south and it is a legitimate house, there is only one place in the world it can be. Where can you only go south from in any direction? What is the ultimate "north"? The north pole!

And with the logic, any bear circling a house at the north pole must be a polar bear, so it is white.

Solution to #4: If you take the numbers on the outside of one wedge and add them, you will get the center number on the wedge opposite of the original wedge. The answer is nine.

Solution to #5: The word is "BACK." This will create a real word if it is placed in front of any of the stems.

How did you do? Did this give your brain a holiday or a workout?

Whether this is your first time trying to solve riddles, or you're a pro, you'll continue find more and more that will continue to make you laugh and think, and you'll find that using your brain creatively and logically is something that will help you for a lifetime. That's the beauty of mind games.