Brain development in childhood is crucial as that lays the foundation for growth later in life (1). Hence, parents should focus on the brain development of the child along with physical growth. Brain games for kids act as an exercise to sharpen a child’s brain and improve its functionality. Just like the body, the brain also needs activities to grow and function better. Delve into this post for some of the best brain games that will not only entertain kids but also help them improve their mental abilities.
Top 20 Brain Games For Kids
You can try physical activities, puzzles, word games, teasers, riddles, and other activities to exercise the gray cells and aid in the child’s cognitive development.
Brain Training Activities
The more active the brain is, the better it develops. Here are a few activities designed to engage the child’s mind and boost brain development.
1. I spy with my eye
A classic game that has been played by generations, I Spy with My Eye makes the child more observant of the surroundings and helps them use their deduction skills. This is the perfect game to play with younger children while you wait for something, such as a doctor’s appointment, in a queue at a restaurant or on a drive. What you will need: Eyes, ears, and imagination; time How to: The idea of the game is to make the kids look at the world around them and wonder about the little mundane things we take for granted.
2. The brain-body coordination activity
We function efficiently when the brain and the other parts of the body work in tandem. This activity helps improve motor coordination in children. What you will need: Space to move around freely, stretch and bend How to: You can try different activities to achieve the goal i.e., brain and body coordination. We have listed a few examples below.
3. Pretend play
Pretend play helps develop a child’s social and emotional skills, thinking abilities and language skills. It also exercises the child’s working memory, as they try to stay in character and display behaviors accordingly. What you will need: Ideas, scenarios, props if needed How to: Pretend play is at its best when children use their imagination and create scenarios and situations that they have to deal with. But sometimes, the caregivers may nudge it.
4. One word story
This group activity lets the children build a story, one word at a time. The game encourages them to put on their creative thinking hats while ensuring they don’t stray away from the theme. What you will need: Space to play, themes if any How to:
5. Memory game
The classic brain game boosts a child’s ability to recall things that they have learned recently, strengthening their memory power. What you will need: Space to play, flashcards if you have How to: You can play the game with or without flashcards. With flashcards: This is suitable for one or two players. Without flashcards: This is ideal when you are traveling and do not have flashcards. Besides these screen-free activities, puzzles can also support brain development in children.
Puzzles For Brain Development
Puzzles can effectively engage the child’s brain, exercising their problem-solving and analytical skills. Jigsaw puzzles and block puzzles also promote hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills. Here, we have listed a few puzzles appropriate for children.
6. Sudoku
Sudoku is a number-placement puzzle that has 9×9 grid with numbers in a few boxes. The goal of the player is to fill in the remaining slots with the appropriate numbers such that a number appears only once in each row and column of the puzzle. The player has to use numbers from 1 to 9 to fill the grid in as little time as possible.
7. Rubik’s cube
A Rubik’s cube is an excellent tool to keep the child engaged on long road trips or when there’s a lot of waiting period. Each side of the cube is differently colored, with nine small squares on each side. The goal is to get all the same-colored squares to one side in as little time as possible. The cube is an excellent tool to sharpen the brain, enhance concentration and improve the child’s spatial awareness. There are 43 quintillion ways to solve the cube, which means every time a child plays with it, they will enhance their skills.
8. Mazes
Should you go left? Right? Wait, weren’t we here before? Being in an actual maze is thrilling and can help a child’s sense of directions and observation skills. Mazes on paper are equally interesting, as they boost the visual and motor development skills, problem-solving ability, and fine motor development. The more the number of mazes a child solves, the faster they get at solving them. What you will need: Ready-to-use maze puzzle books or sheets, pencils, and erasers
9. Jigsaws
Jigsaw puzzles are simple and easy to solve for younger kids. They also contribute to the child’s cognitive development by enhancing their problem-solving skills, visual perception, and spatial awareness, along with fine motor skills. Jigsaw puzzles improve a child’s shape recognition skills and the ability to recreate what they see by putting all the pieces together. Usually, jigsaws have 20-30 pieces. You can try larger and more complicated puzzles with more pieces for older kids and teens.
10. Brainteasers
Brainteasers are nothing but riddles that make you think. Often in the form of a question, brain teasers compel you to deduce the answer with the help of clues that are in the question itself. Here are a few examples of brainteasers for children.
Physical Activities and Exercises That Work The Brain
Not all games that work the brain need you to sit in one place. Here are a few activities that keep you fit physically and mentally.
11. Scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunts are fun and warrant quick thinking and action, compelling the children to exercise their working memory. Scavenger hunts can be organized indoors or outdoors too, where the kids will have to indulge in some physical activity such as walking, running or climbing. What you will need: Small objects that are easily hidden and safe places where you can plant them. Ensure a hunt that is not too easy or difficult. Also, make sure the path or places you choose to hide the objects are safe for kids.
12. Obstacle courses
Obstacle courses exercise the brain-body coordination and improve the child’s kinetic skills, agility and problem-solving. Set up an indoor or outdoor course that challenges the child mentally and physically. A well-set obstacle course should make the child crawl under something, jump over, climb over, hop, skip, and walk. Obstacle courses boost early brain development and help the child gain better control over their physical movements. What you will need: Chairs, cushions, string or rope, hula hoops, a tub of water and a timer. You can also use other objects that may help you chart the course better.
13. Stacking or nesting toys
Stacking or nesting toys may seem like a simple activity for babies and toddlers. But it has the potential to enhance early brain development while improving the child’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Picking up items exercises the fingers while the act of placing them on top of the other objects exercises the hand-eye coordination. Stacking or nesting also works on the depth perception of the child. For older kids, you could make them stack cubes or chairs or other materials to make a tower that stands tall. What you will need: Stacking or nesting toys for younger kids and toddlers, materials that can be stacked for older kids; space to play.
14. Simon says
Simon says is a classic game played at schools and parties. The game may seem simple at first but can get challenging as you play. Whether you play with just a handful of kids or big groups, the game never gets boring. Simon says helps improve the child’s listening, interpretation, and social skills. What will you need: Space to play, a small or large group of children How to:
15. Neighborhood map quest
Charting a map is not easy. But who’s talking about a treasure map or even a world map? We only want the child to draw his or her own map of the neighborhood on a piece of paper. This activity aims at improving their knowledge about their surroundings. What you will need: A3 or A4 size papers, pencils and erasers, rulers, crayons or sketch pens How to: This activity encourages their spatial thinking abilities and teaches them the basics of mapping, routing, and direction.
Pen And Pencil Brain Games
When the weather is not ideal for outdoor activities, you can try these pen and pencil brain games to keep the kids busy and improve brain development.
16. Dots and boxes
This is one of the oldest games played in classrooms, office meetings and at home! The simple game with a set of dots on a paper can keep the kids occupied during long rides or free hours at the school. The game is for two players. What will you need: Paper and pen or pencil How to:
17. Tic tac toe
A game of Xs and Os, tic tac toe features a 3×3 grid with one player choosing the X and the other choosing O. What you will need: Paper, pens or pencils How to:
18. Paper telephone
Paper telephone is a fun game that encourages a child’s interpretation skills, drawing or artistic abilities. The game is played by at least three to as many as ten people. What you will need: A paper and pencil or pen. How to: The results are amusing, but the game is suitable for older kids and teens.
19. Pictionary
Pictionary is similar to charades, except here, the players have to draw the clues on a board instead of enacting them. The game enhances the child’s creative thinking abilities, communication skills, and interpretation skills. What you will need: A white or blackboard, marker or chalk, list of topics, movie names or objects. How to:
20. Crossword
When you are going on long drives or to places where the kid will have nothing to do but wait, a crossword puzzle could come in handy. Crossword puzzles are among the top tools to keep the brain active and hone the child’s vocabulary. Some studies also suggest that crosswords help improve the memory function of the brain. Each puzzle is a grid of empty squares that should be filled with the right word based on the clues given. The more a child works on crosswords, the better he or she will become at solving it. What you will need: Crossword puzzle books or sheets picked according to the child’s age, pencil and eraser.
