Keeping your Brain Active
Keeping your brain sharp is important when it comes to aging. Here at ADRC, we have compiled a couple fun games to keep your mind as sharp as a tack.
Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles can help keep your mind sharp because you have to analyze missing letters and put together words from minimal information. This challenges your memory and forces you to recall different vocabulary words you may not use in your everyday life.
Scrabble
This is a fun and interesting game you can play with a group of friends. If you play the game timed, it adds an extra level of challenge and makes your brain work harder to find possible words. Also, it’s an amazing opportunity to learn new words to add to your vocabulary.
Rubix Cube
This game challenges your critical thinking skills and color association. Since it is considered a difficult puzzle, you need to focus and think through every move you make, in order to not ruin the game or have to backtrack.
Puzzles
Puzzles help increase your spatial awareness and recognition of colors and patterns. Working on a puzzle makes you think about which pieces will fit with each other, and you have to recognize what colors go together in order to make the whole picture.
Black Jack
Black jack helps improve your memory and practice basic math, as well as requiring focus. It allows you to practice your decision-making skills since you will have to weigh the pros and cons for each move you’re going to make.
Simon
Simon helps you practice memorization and pattern recognition. Since the game increases in difficulty and length as it goes on, you will start learning how to break down large amounts of information into smaller chunks in order to remember it all.
Soduku
Soduku is a puzzle involving math, so you are practicing your problem-solving skills as well as your basic addition. You have to analyze the board and think through every move, and you have to have an eye for attention to detail. It’s extremely easy to overlook the use of the same number twice in one of the boxes.
On the go? There are many mind games to choose from on your smart phone’s app store. Below, we’ve listed a few we think anyone would enjoy:
- CogniFit Brain Fitness
- Brain Fitness Pro
- Positive Activity Jackpot
- Eidetic
- ReliefLink
- Fit Brains Trainer
- Happify