By: Madeline Glasser
It might be time to start utilizing little tricks in your daily life to help keep your mind sharp. You need to use your brain in creative and challenging ways to keep it sharp for the long term. Playing mind games is one way to do so. Try using these games every day to keep your thinking skills sharp and at the ready.
1. Incongruous Colors
Using markers or crayons, write out the words of different colors in a color that is different from the word. So write the word “green” in red, “blue” in yellow and so on. Then go through the list as quickly as you can saying the color that the word is written in, not the word itself, aloud. This game is more challenging than it seems.
2. Going on a Picnic
This is a fun game to play with your spouse, friends or children. It’s a memory-based game where you start with “I am going on a picnic, and I am taking ... .” The first person says something with the letter A. Then, the second person starts the phrase again, recalls the A word and then adds on a word that starts with B. This back-and-forth continues until you get through the entire alphabet.
Person 1: “I am going on a picnic, and I am taking an apple with me.”
Person 2: “I am going on a picnic, and I am taking an apple and a blanket with me.”
3. Final Countdown
This game is one of the most flexible, as it can be done anywhere and only takes a few minutes. Pick a number to start from and then start counting backward. Use a different number to count from each time, and count down by multiples. For example, start at 54 and count backward by 6, or start at 93 and count backward by 3.
4. Opposite Day
Use your non-dominant hand as much as possible for an entire day. Simple tasks like brushing your teeth or hair suddenly become more challenging and require additional thought and attention.
5. Picture This
Take any photo from your home or a magazine and study it for one minute. Then, turn it over and write out as many of the details from it as you can remember. Afterward, check for accuracy and take a look at what you missed.
Games like these will help sharpen your brain, especially when practiced frequently. Don’t be surprised when it becomes easier to remember all the little details!
Madeline is the author of the Food, Fitness, and Family blog where she writes about yummy eats, sweaty workouts and life as a family of three — soon to be four! She is an Army wife dedicated to finding balance between kale and cake pops while raising her growing family.