Saturday, February 8, 2014

Brain Boosting Activities That Kids Love

By Madeleine Bridgeman


We all know that children tend to perform better in school if they are eating a healthy mix of foods, engaging in some types of physical activity and getting enough sleep each night. But there are plenty of other ways to help your child improve their brain power and thinking skills. Here are a few suggestions that not only will help boost the power of the brain, they are a lot of fun as well.

Chess is an activity that has been shown to have a positive effect in many areas. Obviously, learning chess will improve one's critical thinking skills, but it actually has been shown to improve verbal skills and mathematical skills. Many schools offer Academic Chess classes after school for a small fee and the instructors quickly teach children all the skills they need to play. This is a great lifelong skill that has been shown to possibly inhibit dementia and diseases such as Alzheimer's.

If you are searching for an easy way to improve brain function while enjoying more time with your children, consider establishing a weekly or bi-monthly game night. There are tons of board games out there to suit a child of any age, and most of them teach highly important skills. For instance, games such as Balderdash, Scrabble and Apples to Apples help improve verbal skills and vocabulary skills. Yahtzee, Pay Day and Monopoly improve math skills as well as teaching strategy. Jigsaw puzzles and games such as Boggle improve spatial reasoning. Of course, another benefit is that someone always wins and someone loses, so your children can develop into good sports or perhaps gracious winners.

Playing with toys is an important part of childhood development, and one toy that can be interesting to a wide range of ages is Legos. These blocks are not just a fun toy, playing with Legos can help your child in many ways. Your child will build critical thinking skills and problem solving skills, as well as improving their fine motor abilities. Think about having your child sign up for a Lego class at school or at a community center. Not only will they enjoy the Lego play, they will interact with other children and improve their ability to work in groups.

A myriad of studies have shown that taking music lessons has a direct effect on academic performance, and there are many reasons for this. For one thing, learning an instrument teaches discipline, and a well-disciplined student is typically always more successful. Spatial skills and mathematical skills also have been seen to improve when a child plays a musical instrument. There are many instruments to choose from, including stringed instruments, woodwinds and brass instruments, but your child also might like to learn something a bit more out-of-the-box such as an electric guitar, keyboards or drums. Either way, you might consider Los Rios Rock School for your child's music education.

Los Rios Rock School differs from many other music schools because the students can play in actual student rock bands. These bands play at local Orange County venues such as the House of Blues, Stillwater and the Coach House. So, if you need Dana Point music lessons, San Clemente music lessons, Laguna Niguel music lessons or San Juan Capistrano music lessons, consider calling Los Rios Rock School and taking a tour of the facilities.




About the Author:



No comments: