5 Puzzle Games that will Train your Brain
Games, be it for entertainment or brain training, are fun for kids and adults. Specialized brain training games are additionally significant to improve mental functioning and prevent brain aging. There are plenty of such puzzle games in the market today, both enjoyable and valuable.
Moreover, recent studies now present strong scientific evidence that mental exercise keeps our brains young. Apart from being amusing, they also acclimatize our brains to be better and sharper. A good brain game has everything from memory retention, abstraction, word memory, and so on. Such games are known to engage the neurons and toughen them, thus improving your memory, response time, and logical skills.
You can choose any puzzle game of your choice, whether it is the New York Times Sunday or online crossword puzzle, a 1,000-piece jigsaw, a wood brain teaser, or the number game Sudoku. A critical element that is present in all these games is their ability to power your brain. The history of these modern-day brain games can be dated back to the ancient world. Puzzles have been in existence from times immemorial around 700 BCE in China in human history.
Before we dive into the brain training games list, it is essential to know how puzzles boost the mind:
- Puzzle games are known to exercise both sides of the brain, making it a real mental workout.
- It boosts problem-solving abilities through trial and error and enables a person to think critically in any life situation.
- Puzzles improve not only memory but also visual and spatial reasoning skills.
- Puzzle games are a great way to enhance mood and lower stress levels by helping you relax.
Let us now look into the list of five puzzle games that are valuable in training the brain and honing mental skills.
Crosswords
The Crossword is a word puzzle that typically takes a square or a rectangular grid of black and white shaded squares. It is a classic brain trainer and has been around for over a century. Crossword puzzles are highly recommended for mental stimulation as it accesses your verbal language and memory from many dimensions of knowledge. It makes your brain activate more cells and work persistently towards thinking creatively. The game’s objective is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues that lead to the answers. They are available in newspapers, books of crossword puzzles, and also online. One can check the NYT crossword answers listed at the end of the paper to analyze the solutions.
Sudoku
Sudoku is a number placement game that has been around in newspapers for years. It is nowadays available as a mobile game too. It is a very involving game that relies on short-term memory and observation skills. Sudoku is a multitasking game that requires observing the trail, carefully planning the moves, and thinking ahead. Sudoku includes trails of consequences- if you put 5 in this box, the other one must be seven and then a 3, and so on. Sudoku can be played online, on an app, or on paper. Several websites provide Sudoku with varying degrees of difficulty where learners can gradually start with easier levels and move to advanced ones.
Lumosity
Lumosity is a popular online brain training game with over 70 million users. Launched in 2007, one can exercise mental capability through games and exercises based on cognitive science studies. It has several fun brain training and mental fitness games, tests, and activities backed by science. The over 25 games available on Lumosity adapt to individual strengths and performance, creating a custom-built brain training experience for every user. It is free to sign up for an account on its website or app, play three games every day or choose the subscription service for additional offers.
Peak
Peak is an app-only game platform with over 40 unique and well-designed games. It has an excellent user interface and is available for iOS and Android. The game, developed by a group of neuroscientists and game developers, aims to assemble the world of gaming and brain training seamlessly. The games here can help you work on memory, focus, mental agility, problem-solving, and other cognitive functions. The app tracks the player’s progress with insights to better understand where you excel or need to improve. It is free to use along with an inexpensive subscription unlocking more features.
Elevate
Another app-only gaming platform, Elevate, has several personalized brain training and daily game workouts. Elevate games are centered on reading, speaking, writing, and math, where you can also modify your training to focus on the areas you prefer. Also, it offers a handy workout calendar to help you track your progress in a detailed manner and over 30 cognitive games that are quick and fun. You can get it for free (with other in-app purchases) on both iOS and Android devices, and it has numerous five-star reviews.
The puzzle games mentioned above are great for training and strengthen mental power. If chosen correctly, games are an excellent way to have fun and improve our brain functioning abilities and keep it sharp for a long time.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
