My son cam home from school a few months back with a memory exercise they learned in science. Here is how it works. You take a deck of cards and two people. One person flips the cards over one at a time to display to the other person. The other person starts by having to say which card was displayed previously,forcing them to remember two cards,the current one and the last one. Then in the next round the player has to say which card was two cards earlier,forcing them to remember three cards in sequence,the current plus the last two. Then it goes to three cards back,then four,etc. The game,or really test,is to see how far back you are able to remember. We tried it once and I sucked. Clearly middle age dementia has already started setting in. Either that or having three kids really does cause “momnesia”.
Then the other day I read an interesting article in the New York Times about the same exact type of game which you can play online. The article,aptly named “Can You Make Yourself Smarter?” ,discusses scientific research which seems to prove that these types of exercises not only help the brain with memory,they help it with analytical skills as well,what they call fluid intelligence. And,there is evidence that if done for about 20 minutes a day,5 times a week,it can help children with ADHD become more focused. After all,it requires a significant amount of focus and attention to play well. Think of it as push-ups for your brain.
Besides using a deck of cards,you can play an even better version of the game for free online by visiting SoakYourHead.com. This one uses both visual and audio memory,but I warn you,it is a little addicting and challenging. I definitely felt brain fatigue after a few minutes. But I figure while Alyssa is sharing stories about the 90 Day Fitness Challenge,why not do something that challenges and strengthens our brains,too.
Of course the real key is getting the kids to play this,but when there is so much evidence to show the benefits,it is worth figuring out a way to incorporate it into the kids’regular activities. After all,I’ve yet to see any research to show that Call of Duty has the same effect!
www.mommywarriors.com
