The brain is a complex organ. By the age of six, 90 percent of its architecture is complete. It contains approximately four lobes and 86 billion neurons, one of which contains the limbic system, where memories are created, stored, and recalled. And, according to Jeffrey Karpicke, author of a science brief published on the Science website of the American Psychological Association, “recent research has demonstrated that memory retrieval is essential for robust, durable, long-term learning.”
It follows that brain games for children that stimulate the memory centre are an excellent way to keep their grey matter active during the summer.
Brain Regions and Their Functions for Children
Memory is an essential cognitive ability. There is working memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Long-term memories are either explicit, requiring mental effort to recall, or implicit, referred to as “muscle memory.” And memory is interconnected with the learning-critical cognitive skills of attention, perception, and reasoning.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the following structures within the brain’s architecture are associated with memory formation, storage, and recall:
• Temporal lobe, which is responsible for short-term memory, speech, musical rhythm, and the sense of smell.
• Amygdala, a component of the limbic system that regulates emotion and memory, and is associated with the reward system in the brain.
• Hippocampus, which facilitates memory, learning, navigation, and spatial perception.
• The Hypothalamus regulates body temperature, synchronises sleep patterns, regulates hunger and thirst, and is involved in certain aspects of memory and emotion.
Using what science knows about memory, reasoning, perception, and emotion, there are numerous simple and enjoyable ways to keep these critical structures actively engaged during the summer months.
Memory-Enhancing Brain Games for Young Children
There is evidence that activities, games, and puzzles may be effective at enhancing memory, despite the fact that scientific opinion on their effects is somewhat divided.
It’s perplexing
On the one hand, there is insufficient evidence that puzzles improve higher order cognitive abilities. On the other hand, according to the Child Development Institute, they aid in the development of problem-solving skills and memory. The Journal of Effective Teaching states that crossword puzzles benefit some students but not others.
Bored? Start with a board game.
Memory benefits of board games range from understanding rules and predicting outcomes to acquiring maths and language skills to managing emotions and enhancing concentration. According to a study reported by Parenting Science, more difficult board games stimulate memory and learning. According to the study, one group of preschoolers was given a colour-coded game and a counting game. The cognitive assessments of the children who played the maths-based game showed a significant improvement compared to their pre-game scores, and these gains were maintained on subsequent tests.
Get up! Get out!
Harvard Medical School warns that excessive sitting is the worst habit for the brain, followed by isolation, insufficient sleep, and chronic stress. A study on the effects of a sedentary lifestyle found a correlation between hours spent sitting and doing nothing and a reduction in the region of the brain that creates new memories. Positively, according to Neuroscience News, children who engage in any form of physical activity demonstrate marked improvements in attention, memory, decision-making, and other brain functions. Encourage your children to discover active games that they enjoy. Participating in organised sports or taking a neighbourhood or park stroll can make a significant difference.
Overcoming Children’s Resistance to Activities and Brain Teasers
According to the Harvard Business Review, behavioural science has identified seven procrastination triggers, including the fact that children find the activity boring, frustrating, or devoid of personal significance. To defeat them, they propose:
• If they find no personal significance in the activity, encourage them with praise. What is rewarded tends to be repeated.
• Agreeing on a schedule to find time to get up and move if the idea of unplugging frustrates your student.
• Transforming an activity that a child finds monotonous into a game within a game: In five minutes, how many crossword clues can you solve?
The opposite of procrastination is motivation, and Harvard’s Centre on the Developing Child recommends being “empathetic and supportive, knowing that youth are undergoing changes in their brains, bodies, and social relationships.”
Parents can also promote healthy brain development by interspersing their children’s schoolwork with activities throughout the day. Do follow the blogs and articles published by ODM Global School – the Best CBSE School in Bhubaneswar, to find a long list of brain boosting activities, especially crafted for students to best support their learning skills.