# BYOPuzzles — Mindful Creation — Build Your Own Puzzles

> Build custom kaleidoscope puzzles to enhance visual perception and problem-solving skills. (iPhone/iPad app by Donalee Markus.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byopuzzles-mindful-creation/id695457968 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Donalee Markus](https://appshunter.io/developer/396769078)
- Category: Entertainment, Education
- Price: $29.99
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 137 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2013-10-28
- Data updated: 2026-07-07
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byopuzzles-mindful-creation/id695457968/reviews.md

## What is BYOPuzzles?

A meditative, creative brain training app that lets you build and solve your own kaleidoscope puzzles. Strengthens concentration, working memory, and the kind of focused creative thinking that's increasingly rare in a world full of distraction.

Designed by Dr. Donalee Markus, a Northwestern-trained neuroscientist with 40 years of clinical practice.

WHAT IT TRAINS

• Sustained concentration and focused attention

• Working memory across complex visual patterns

• Creative thinking and aesthetic decision-making

• The cognitive pleasure of deliberate, slow practice

• A meditative quality of mind that translates beyond the app

WHO IT'S FOR

• Adults wanting a calm, restorative form of brain training

• People seeking an alternative to fast-paced puzzle apps

• Concussion patients sensitive to overstimulation

• Older adults building a daily cognitive habit

• Creative thinkers who want exercise that feels like art

THE SCIENCE

BYOPuzzles is built on the same three-pillar model — Attention, Intention, Rehearsal — that anchors all of Dr. Markus's work. The kaleidoscope format provides natural hierarchical difficulty: you set the complexity by your own creative choices, and the brain trains across exactly the variables you find engaging.

ABOUT THE DEVELOPER

Dr. Donalee Markus has practiced cognitive restructuring since 1983 and is featured in Clark Elliott's "The Ghost in My Brain."

## Key features

- Build custom kaleidoscope puzzles
- Strengthen concentration and memory
- Enhance visual imagery skills
- Improve complex problem-solving
- Catalyze creativity
- Develop abstract thinking

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byopuzzles-mindful-creation/id695457968/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Mind puzzle

*2014-03-03*

I like being able use my own pictures as I stretch my brain.   Photos are cut up and you get to reassemble the picture out of what looks like a kaleidoscope.

## Frequently asked questions about BYOPuzzles

### What is BYOPuzzles?

BYOPuzzles is a paid application designed to enhance concentration, memory, and creativity through unique kaleidoscope puzzles. It focuses on strengthening visual perception skills essential for problem-solving and abstract thinking.

### How does BYOPuzzles work?

The app presents users with kaleidoscope images that require detailed observation and understanding of relationships between elements. Users must then visualize how these details are manipulated to create new patterns, thereby rehearsing visual imagery and analytical perception skills.

### What are the benefits of using BYOPuzzles?

BYOPuzzles strengthens the right hemisphere of the brain, improving visual perception, spatial relations, and pattern recognition. It also fosters creative thinking, communication, and problem-solving abilities, which are foundational for abstract thinking and mathematics.

### What is the price of BYOPuzzles?

BYOPuzzles is a paid application priced at $29.99. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements associated with the app.

### What devices support BYOPuzzles?

Currently, BYOPuzzles is supported on iPads. The app is designed to leverage the larger screen size for an optimal puzzle-solving experience.

### How often is BYOPuzzles updated?

The latest version of BYOPuzzles is 1.1.2, which was last updated on October 2, 2024. Updates typically focus on refining the user experience and ensuring compatibility with newer operating system versions.

### What is the age rating for BYOPuzzles?

BYOPuzzles has an age rating of 4+. This indicates that the content is generally suitable for children aged four and older, focusing on foundational cognitive development.

### Does BYOPuzzles have ads?

No, BYOPuzzles does not contain advertisements. As a paid application, it offers an uninterrupted user experience focused solely on puzzle-solving and cognitive enhancement.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.3 — 2026-07-03

What's New
• Updated kaleidoscope generation
• Visual and UI improvements
• Stability fixes

### 1.1.2 — 2024-10-02

- Updated category ordering

### 1.1.1 — 2021-08-09

- Added more illustrations!

### 1.1 — 2018-04-21

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

- UI updates for replaying current puzzle

### 1.0.8 — 2017-10-23

- Camera Bug Fix

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## More apps by Donalee Markus

- [Strong Mind Puzzles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strong-mind-puzzles/id396769075)
- [Strong Mind Mazes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strong-mind-mazes/id1141474443)
- [Rocket ABCs Print](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocket-abcs-print/id1270346054)
- [Rocket 123s](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocket-123s/id1304335839)
- [Strong Mind Estimator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strong-mind-estimator/id1383404371)

All apps by Donalee Markus: https://appshunter.io/developer/396769078

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-07.*