Parenting Tips

Behind the Scenes: Get to Know Puzzle Editor Allison Kane

By: Highlights Editorial

Allison Kane speaking at a desk during a Q&A session about being a puzzle editor.

2 minutes to read

For All Ages

Creativity

Critical Thinking

Curiosity

Fine Motor Skills

Math

Reading and Writing

Science

Social Emotional

It’s no secret that Highlights has some of the best puzzles for kids. But where do they come from? How are puzzles made?

It turns out that Highlights has their very own puzzle editors, dedicated to coming up with perfectly fun and age-appropriate Hidden Pictures scenes, word finds, matching games and so much more!

Let’s learn more about the puzzle process through this behind-the-scenes interview with Allison Kane, the editor of brainPLAY magazine and Head of Puzzle Innovation at Highlights.

Have you been a puzzler since you were a kid?

Yes, definitely. I was actually a Highlights subscriber. I ran straight for the Hidden Pictures puzzles, just like everyone else does. I had two older sisters, so I had to get to that puzzle first.

What was your favorite puzzle as a kid?

I did always love Hidden Pictures puzzles, but also any puzzle that had a riddle or joke involved in it. I just really liked to laugh as a kid.

What’s the best snack to eat while puzzling?

That is definitely peanut butter M&Ms. And that is because somebody filled the jar in the office with peanut butter M&Ms and I have been truly addicted ever since.

What’s your favorite part about working on an issue of Highlights magazine?

I really love the beginning part when we’re all just throwing out ideas for an issue. [We’re] thinking about our own childhoods, what the kids in our lives are doing now and what their other interests are. What’s going on in a kid’s life at the time that the issue is going to print. And then we just riff off each other. We laugh a lot and come up with some really fun ideas. That brainstorming process is my favorite part.

Allison Kane Weckbacher works with an incredible team to dream up puzzle concepts that are fun and just the right amount of tricky for kids. Her work also involves editing everything from poetry to nonfiction, admiring artwork sent in by readers, speaking to media about Highlights initiatives, and brainstorming ideas for new books.

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