It seems most of the contemporary parents have given up to the power of screens when it comes to kids’ activities. The question is, do you try to be any different? When your kid wants to watch cartoons and rhymes on YouTube, do you have something more interesting to offer? Or, do you try to come up with something at least? If yes, you are in the right place!
Every evening, you dread those long hours of screen time with those endless episodes of Paw Patrol or Peppa Pig. Thanks to the widespread Spectrum Internet availability and all other ISPs! It has become effortless to have all your gadgets connected to the internet. And your little ones are enlightened enough to use the internet for what they love. Being a responsible and thoughtful parent, you want to distract them from these non-productive activities.
We are here to rescue all such struggling parents. We are going to give you a list of creative and mind-boggling brain games, which will essentially help in developing better cognitive skills and brain development.
Top 5 Games for Kids
There are plenty of games to keep your young ones away from screens. And what’s better if those games are helping in improving their brain activity too. The games, which we are going to recommend are not just entertainment. They are all about learning too. Let’s see:
- Blocks – Just Build it up!
- Tease Their Brain with Puzzles.
- I Spy Games.
- Pretend and Play Games.
- Storytelling – Never Gets Old.
Let’s discuss them.
Blocks – Just Build it up!
Building Blocks is perhaps the oldest, most popular, and most basic brain game. It is best suited for children aged 2 – 4. A constant of the “toy-sphere”, blocks help in boosting imagination and creativity in children. All you need to do is to expose them to the blocks of different sizes and colors. And watch their imagination go wild!
This game covers all the aspects of your kid’s development. Such as creativity, color and shape recognition, spatial awareness, imaginative faculties, and so much more.
Start with basic shapes and colors in blocks. And as they age, upgrade to abstract ones or Lego’s building blocks for sharper brain activity. Help them observe different patterns and make them accordingly.
Tease Their Brain with Puzzles
Again an archetypal recommendation in kids’ games and activities. But as long as it does the right job, why not! Puzzles are not just awesome brain development games for kids. They can also serve as a fun activity for the whole family. You can spend some quality time together.
For kids, puzzles are a great way to develop spatial perception, problem-solving skills, coordination, cognitive skills, fine motor skills, and logical thinking.
There are so many types of puzzles in the market. You have to choose according to your kid’s age. For younger kids, board puzzles and tangrams will do the job. While for older ones and even adults, Scrabble, crosswords, Sudoku, Rubik’s cubes, and logic puzzles serve the purpose of being perfect brainteasers. Did you happen to check the incredible new blocks on Facebook called Ghostkubes?
I Spy Games
When it comes to brain sharpening games, I spy games and scavenger hunts are the best ones! Such games help your children in having enhanced attention and spatial awareness. They also help in making them used to follow instructions and rules. Where’s Waldo is a great book for adults and children alike. Having to find a targeted item in an environment that is cluttered helps in enhancing your kid’s cognitive skills.
You can also have customized scavenger hunts. They will keep your kids engaged for hours! You can bring them close to nature and make them spend time outdoors with a natural scavenger hunt. You can ask them to find a red flower, brown leaves, grass, or some water.
Pretend and Play Games
Didn’t we love this game as kids? Let’s hope our children love it too! You can easily find kits in the market, which will allow them to play this game. Make-believe, pretend play, and role-play games work wonders in children’s social and cognitive development.
Pretend play games help in developing language skills, emotional and social skills. They nurture their imagination and make them understand the world around them better. It also helps in a stimulated thought process.
Instead of buying those kits from the market, you can make it more creative with DIY ideas. For instance, you can repurpose old shelves and pretend that they are a market area. You can use cardboard boxes to create houses, shops, stoves, and what not. Since it’s all about a pretend game, the possibilities are endless!
Storytelling Never Gets Old
Once upon a time…
Every story begins with this phrase. It is more like a tradition, passed down from one generation to another. And it doesn’t seem to stop.
Listening to stories or reading picture books are good activities. But storytelling boosts a different type of brain development in kids. Making your kids tell a story makes your children pay attention and improves their focus. It also helps in enhancing their memory as they keep track of the plot, sequence of events, and characters.
It also helps in developing linguistic skills, speaking skills, and boosts confidence. Storytelling for the kids aged 6 and above helps in enhancing their self-confidence. They get to express their emotions and feelings.
If you are successful in making your kids play all these games, you may call your ISP’s customer service and go for an internet package with a lesser data cap. Why not save when you have your kids do something, better than binge-watching cartoons on YouTube!