“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, they say, but what if ‘Jack’ could work his brain and have some fun while at it? Wouldn’t such an exercise or avenue inspire him to take up some daunting tasks with passion in the nearest future? Well, we may never be able to tell for every Jack but it has been well established that children learn more by doing and since report has it that 90% of the entire brain development takes place at the age of 5 years old, it is wise that parents take their wards through the paces as early as possible. Based on this, I shall delve into the discourse for today which is to shed light on five different games that can boost the cognitive prowess of children.

  • Puzzles: Having your child put some pieces together to make a whole object is a very good activity that can help improve his/her logical reasoning - as he/she tries to merge different combinations of objects. Additionally, puzzles enhance hand-eye coordination, and the feeling of eureka that accompanies the successful completion of a particular puzzle challenge could go a long way in fine-tuning your child’s confidence level. In this regard, you should aim to get your wards play games such as jigsaw puzzles, logic puzzles, sliding puzzles, spot the difference and so on.
  • Mazes: Mazes involve interconnected networks with only one pathway being the right one to take. So, as your little ones aim to figure out this (right) pathway, their problem-solving skills become sharpened to an appreciable extent. Another advantage of solving is that it aids the development of the child’s visual motor skill; this is so because the child gets to scan the pattern to decipher the way to go - this is yet beneficial for developing reading and writing skills.
  • Lego: Creativity and imagination, as well as the recognition of shapes and colours are highlighted when using Legos [as building blocks] to create different objects or structures. A kid who likes to have fun with them would most certainly have his/her mind stimulated at a considerable rate - right from early age.
  • Guessing games: Guesses are not meant to be always right, but a little indulgence in a guessing game could be of benefit to the brain. For one, it can help your child gain some new knowledge and/or recall things without much difficulty. More so, a guessing game may be vital in boosting the listening skill of your young ones as they attempt to provide answer(s)n to whatever you throw at them. Viewing it from another perspective, this could impact their thinking/reasoning prowess a great deal. So, you should consider incorporating the “I am something…what am I?” game or any other educative guessing game into their fun-time and also be committed to playing the game with them.
  • Memory games: Memory games come in varieties but the overriding theme is similar - recollection whether short-term or long-term. They also help one to concentrate better; impacting the way your child gives attention to details. Some examples of good memory games you can play with your wards include total recall, number string, mismatch memory game and card recall to mention but a few.

There are definitely other games that can be very useful for improving the intellectual prowess of your child - you can even create some simple ones by yourself. Notwithstanding, you should be careful to set time aside to inculcate reading habit into your child from the early years.