Free mind games, Home-Created Brain Games and Brain Activities

Free mind games, Home-Created Brain Games and Brain Activities

Plenty of free mind games can also increase cognitive abilities and keep kids off the “summer slide”. The trick is to find several that are age-appropriate and that your kids find fun. Here are a few favorites from the brain-training experts at LearningRx.

Paperless Tic-Tac-Toe: Take the classic game of tic-tac-toe and assign each box a number. Have your child visualize this grid in her mind and call off the box number in which she wants to place her mark. Or, try playing tic-tac-toe by drawing the grid in the air and pointing to the box where you want to place your mark. The game is over when someone wins with three in a row, or when someone loses by taking an occupied spot.

What it helps: Memory, visualization, planning, focus, problem solving

20 Questions: Think of a person or object and give your child 20 chances to narrow down what you’re thinking of by asking yes or no questions. To help them improve their logic and reasoning, teach them to strategize by using questions that will significantly narrow down the categories, such as “Are they alive?” or “Do we have one at our house?”

What it helps: Logic, reasoning, memory

Rhyme Time: Have your child choose four rhyming  words and use them to create a poem. For younger kids, simply say a word, then take turns coming up with words that rhyme with it.

What it helps: Auditory analysis, verbal rhythm, memory

Make a Mental Movie: Start with a subject like a puppy and then have your child help create what the puppy looks like; his size, shape, color, etc. Have your child talk about where the puppy is; next to a doghouse, in the forest, etc. Then have your child add other details such as the weather or what the dog is saying. By developing pictures with color, size, perception, sound, and background, kids learn how to develop a more complete picture.

What it helps: Comprehension, memory

The Twinkle Twinkle song: Have your child replace the words to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” with state capitals. Want a twist for older kids? Have them include a rhyme at the end of each sentence. “Montpelier is the capital of Vermont state, and I think Phoenix, Arizona is great…” 

What it helps: Mnemonics, memory, strategy, rhyming

Needle in a Haystack: Take a page from a newspaper and time your child as she circles all occurrences of a specific letter. Identify which sound symbols are more easily found than others and focus on increasing both accuracy and speed.