With social distancing, online classes, and the everyday struggle with information overload, Children might feel stressed and overwhelmed. One of the many ways you, as parents, can help is by engaging children in exercises and games that can boost memory power.

The games can be done as part of a regular exercise to deal with mental tiredness and cope better with the volume of tasks. 

There’s no secret to snap out of a burnout instantly, but children can improve their cognitive potential to this feeling. If physical exercise is good for the body, mental exercise is good for the brain.

The list below is divided into individual and group activities : 

• Rhyme game

Number of participants: Minimum 2

How to play: The game starts with one person saying a sentence. The next player follows up with a sentence, but the last word of this sentence has to rhyme with the last word of the previous sentence.

Example: “I am sitting on a log.”
“I am sitting on a log, next to it is a frog.”

And the game goes on. 

• What’s missing? 

Number of participants: Single-player or more

How to play: Take a tray, basket or table with a mix of items in/on it. Display the items for 10 seconds. Cover the items and eliminate one object or thing from the mix. Uncover the articles and ask the players to identify what’s missing. 

• Once upon a time

Number of participants: Minimum two

How to play: Children should be seated in a circle. The game starts with the first player going, “once upon a time…”, and each player adds to the story. 

• Follow the music

Number of participants: Minimum three

How to play: You will need musical instruments for this game. Play a tune and hand the instruments to the children participating. Divide them into groups and ask them to re-create the tune on their own. 

• The matching game

Number of participants: Single-player or more

There are games available on the internet where children have to pair items together or guess which cards they must unturn to reveal the article while memorising its position and looking for its pair. 

• I went…

Number of participants: Minimum two

How to play: The best part about this game is that there can be numerous variations, so it never gets boring! 

In this game, all you need is a situation.

Example: “I went shopping, and I bought a…”. The game continues with each participant reciting and adding to the list. You could also do other situations like, “I went on a trip and packed..”, “In my picnic basket, I got..”. 

• Sudoku, crossword, and word 

Number of participants: One player or more

How to play: Games like Sudoku, Crossword, and Word Search puzzles are suitable for single players. They are quick and challenge you to think harder. Word games can be easily found in newspapers, magazines and online.

• Focus on another person

Be more observant. Pay attention to your surroundings. When you interact with someone, take note of five or more things about them. Maybe the color of their shirt, hair, or pants. 

After a while or even a day later, try to recollect the list of things you made note of.

• Learn a new language

There are many cognitive benefits of being able to speak more than one language. Bilingualism can boost your memory and levels of creativity.

If you found this blog helpful, don’t forget to share it with friends and family! Visit Chrysalis High Blog to find informational and useful blogs to help students with homework, note-taking, and more.

The post Parents’ Corner: Exercises for Children to Boost Memory Power appeared first on Chrysalis.