Feed Your Brain

Winter weather might be getting you down, but it’s easy to keep your mind sharp by exercising your brain. Kids and adults benefit from a daily dose of “brain food.” So turn off the TV and video games and give your brain a workout with exercises meant to stimulate your mind.

Reading...the ultimate brain food!
Photo courtesy of Paul Bence, Creative Commons License

As a teacher, I have to recommend reading as the most important “brain food.” Readers create mental pictures that engage the imagination. Processing words along with their meanings forces the reader to understand a scenario as it’s being described. Reading will always top my list of “brain food” activities, and the greatest part about it is that if you visit your local library, it’s totally free.

Not a reader? Don’t worry. It’s not the only activity that qualifies as “brain food.” Puzzles are another engaging activity. Whether it’s a hands-on jigsaw puzzle, or a written puzzle such as Sudoku, a crossword, or a word search, puzzles force the brain to think creatively while also exercising memory and perception skills. Mazes also fall into the puzzle category. The more difficult the maze, the better the mental work out.

Crafts and hands-on activities also give the brain exercise. Knitting, crocheting, wood working, scrapbooking, painting, sewing, and even auto repair connect the hands and the mind together. Introducing these types of skills to kids provides them with opportunities that can be utilized into adulthood. Adults, it’s never too late to learn one of these activities, so don’t assume it’s all kids’ play.

Learning a musical instrument is exercise
for the brain.
Photo courtesy of Nikos Koutoulas, Creative
Commons License.

Music and dance provide wonderful exercise for the brain. Learning to sing or play an instrument stretches the mind and forces it to work, especially when reading music is involved. Dancing, besides its obvious physical benefits, gives the brain an opportunity to direct the body into a prescribed set of motions and actions. Singing and dancing together takes the entire process one step further.

Play board games as a family. Institute a family game night and make it a grand event. Snacks, games, and family competition make these “brain food” moments even more fun. Play a variety of games and keep a running total of the winners so that you can crown a champion for the night. Game night brings the family together for some quality time, as well.

Play with LEGOs, blocks, or other building materials. Give your kids the opportunity to create and build. Don’t just stick to the provided directions for LEGOS, either. If your blocks are all mixed together, then take them and just start building. It’s fun to see what can be created. Or, for an even bigger challenge, attempt to copy a well-known building or person to make a LEGO version.

Learn a new skill. It’s a healthy to engage in new activities or skills. Think about something you’ve wanted to do and learn how to do it. Encourage your kids to do the same. Your brain will thank you for it.

Build variety into the cold winter months by regularly feeding your brain and keeping it healthy. This is important for kids and adults. Feed your brain and give it a work out no matter what your age!