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The brain is the powerhouse of the human body, and like all the other vital organs it is imperative that as we age, we take steps to keep our brains healthy and working at their top capacity. One of the most obvious functions of the brain that tends to slow with age is memory.

Even though it seems inevitable that with each year we age our memories will continue to slow and deteriorate, there are many enjoyable brain games to maintain a healthy brain and memory!

Bingo

It might seem a bit cliche, but Bingo is one of the best games for jogging the memory and strengthening the brain. Perfect for all ages and easy to learn the game can be modified to fit the needs of the players!

Bingo is commonly played using one or more cards per participant which are marked with columns of letters and rows of numbers. Players wait for the host of the game to draw a random ball with a letter and number on it and if that sequence appears on a participant card they mark it with a tile. The game is won when a player creates a line of tiles reaching across the card, up and down, side to side, or diagonally. 

Favored by the elderly community, Bingo has been shown to improve cognitive skills and hand-eye coordination in people suffering from illnesses such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s. The game requires participants to focus on the numbers and letters on their cards and listen for those specific sequences to win and encourages them to maintain their concentration on their cards to respond quickly to the numbers called. 

Bingo is also a great game for the younger generations because it helps to maintain the existing health and function of the brain. As well as maintaining a healthy brain and sharp memory it encourages young people to continue to focus on the health of their brain. Then, when they do enter into their twilight years, they will have had years of habits to promote a more active and robust brain and keep their memories from deteriorating with age!

Matching Games

Just as the name suggests, matching games involve taking cards with corresponding or matching images and pairing them together. It is simple to learn and easy for kids and adults of all ages to play and enjoy!

The game is played by taking a number of cards that have an identical match in the deck and placing them face down and mixing them up so no one knows which cards are which. A game is won by matching all the cards and seeing which person made the most correct matches during the game. 

The game is easy for all ages to learn and play, and it is a sure-fire way to strengthen and build memory. Memory games are a fantastic way to build cognitive skills and brain growth in young children and since matching revolves around flipping cards and trying to remember which images are where. It is the perfect game to encourage a sharp memory in children! 

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Puzzles

Another great activity for maintaining a healthy memory is completing puzzles. Puzzles are suitable for all ages and cognitive needs and are a simple and relaxing way to cultivate a robust and high functioning brain!

Puzzles come in all shapes, colors, and sizes and there is an abundance of different ones to choose from. For younger less experienced puzzle solvers there are boxes with simple images and large pieces. As the age group gets more mature and the cognitive skills become more developed the pieces get smaller and the images become more complex. 

From children to adults, puzzles are a fun and easy way to improve and maintain a healthy brain and memory through utilizing both sides of the brain, encouraging growth in short-term memory, and improving reasoning! 

Trivia

One of the main jobs our memory handles is storing and processing the vast amount of information we gather throughout our lives. The best way to train our memories for tackling the information we feed them is through quizzing the brain on a variety of facts and memories. 

Trivia games are an incredibly easy and fun way to train your memory to collect and store information as it comes to you! Anyone can sit down and quiz themselves or friends on any subject at any time and are simultaneously enhancing their brain and cognitive function!

Most often trivia games are used in schools to help children learn different subjects and give them the tools to develop study habits for higher education. Learning to collect and then recall information later through playing games helps kids and adults enjoy strengthening their brains and their memories!

Crosswords

Crossword puzzles may seem simple enough, but they are actually a great way to enhance brain function and improve your memory! Each crossword puzzle has a theme and white squares corresponding to the letters in a word. The game offers short clues as to the identity of the word and the player must draw on their memory to figure out what the missing word is. 

To complete the puzzle, a player needs to use their memory and cognitive skills to decipher the clue that fits in the given boxes, as well as fits with the rest of the empty boxes. This can be quite tricky and requires a sharp mind to pick out the subtle hints. Completing a crossword puzzle takes critical thinking and focus which in the long run improves memory and brain function for the participant!

Online Memory Games

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The internet has become a vast wealth of online resources and games for improving memory and brain health! Just about any memory game imaginable can be found in digital format on the internet and can be played from the comfort of the home or on the go!

Playing memory games on the internet can be a fun and engaging way to strengthen your memory for many reasons. There are hundreds of different and unique games to choose from online and all of them can be played from anywhere with anyone with the power of the internet!

Using the internet, you can also challenge yourself to face off against others across the globe or keep track of how you’re doing and try to improve your own performance, all through the click of a button!

Wrapping It Up

The human brain is a complex and wonderful organ that is vital for our everyday life and function. Our memories help us with just about everything we do, and it is paramount that we take the time and care to keep them in tip-top shape!

Playing fun and engaging memory games to sharpen our minds is the perfect way to improve our cognitive skills, brain function, and long and short-term memories!