Exercising is an important task for everyone as we continue to age. However, this importance does not only apply to the physical body but also our mental states! The brain holds the huge responsibility of getting your body to function at its best, and continuously getting your mind to work helps you to be stronger in every way. There are many ways you can keep your mind engaged. While we know that yoga is one popular way to improve mental health, there are some fun and interactive games that help too! Here are some brain games for your family members that you can gain some inspiration from for your next family gathering!
Arts and Crafts
As the body slows down, there are lesser outlets for mature people to unleash their creativity spurts. But fret not. Why not try out arts and crafts? It helps you to maintain your hands’ dexterity and lets you use your imagination to your heart’s content. Arts and crafts can come in many forms from painting to knitting, and the end product can be a perfect gift for friends and relatives as well. You get to relax with your activities, and give back to the people who matter at the same time!
Word / Logic Puzzles
Word puzzles can be a challenging but rewarding activity for more mature people, as it gets the mind working and keeps it sharp. You can find crossword puzzles everywhere, sometimes even at the back of newspapers! It is okay if you are unable to complete a whole puzzle, but doing just a few is already enough to improve your brain’s health.
If you prefer more visual cues, try playing logic puzzles instead! They are designed to test your ability to dissect information and think logically, and also give you an opportunity to come up with unconventional solutions and help with memory. You will be able to find many of these puzzle books online or in bookstores.
Dancing
Who does not love a little dancing once in a while? For those who are still actively moving, take up some dance classes! It helps to stimulate the brain by letting it remember dance steps and at the same time lets you relax and have fun with peers! It is the perfect activity for socializing and decreasing your blood pressure, and there are many classes to suit your level of mobility too!
Memory Games
It is inevitable that memories will slowly start fading as age catches up. One of the more common memory losses is short-term and can affect our daily lives quite a bit. Playing some memory games will help to test the brain and help it to retain information longer. Here is a tray game that you can try out! All you have to do is to get someone to fill a tray up with different items and line them up. You should be given a few seconds to look at how the items are arranged before a cloth covers the items. From there, test yourself and recall the placements of each item, and the person with the most right answers wins!
