Smart Mom’s Toy Box: July 201111 Summer-Perfect, Family-Friendly, Brain-Boosting Games Our sweetest memories of summertime often include weekends at the lake,camping in the wilderness, or relaxing on the back porch. Bring your familytogether this summer with games! Want to keep your kids’ attentionskills high or improve them over the summer? Are you planning a long roadtrip and need something to keep them occupied while helping their brainsgrow stronger in the process? Try these games and book series to keepyour sanity at home, around the pool, next to the campfire, and on theroad. Your kids will be glad you did! Nationally renowned brain training experts Ken Gibson and Tanya Mitchellhave created a free list to help parents shop for toys to help improvetheir children’s learning skills. “Our hope is that parentswill shop wisely for toys this year, purchasing toys, games, and booksthat can help develop the cognitive skills that make learning possible—likeauditory and visual processing, memory, logic and reasoning, processingspeed, and attention,” says Gibson.“Research now shows that learning skills can be taught—andtherefore improved. Brain skills training does for the mind what physicalexercise does for the body.” “A parent whose child has Attention Deficit Disorder, for example,would want to shop for toys that improve attention,” explains Mitchell.“Likewise, a child who struggles with reading would benefit fromgames that improve verbal processing; games that practice sound blendingand segmenting.” Gibson is the founder of national brain training franchise LearningRx,and the coauthor of“Unlock the Einstein Inside: Applying New Brain Science to Wake Upthe Smart in Your Child” with Mitchell. Things to Keep in Mind A smart toy box will focus on all major learning skills Parents can help their kids get smarter at any age Brain research shows the brain continues to grow throughout life Parents should help prepare a good learner for school by developing learning skills Parents should take 30 minutes, 3 times a week to work on developing these skills The best way to strengthen learning skills is to use fun, game-like activities Studies show that reading problems can be prevented. 1.Apples to Apples Apples to Apples Party Box for $20.33 new (or $14.95 used) Apples to Apples Party Box Expansion Cards for $13.96 You know, for those of you who have played so often, you’ve runout of new cards! Apples to Apples Party Box Expansion Cards TWO from $17.99 And this is for those whose favorite pastime is Apples to Apples! Crate Edition for $43.11 Skills developed by this game: Executive Processing (see below for complete list of cognitive skills andtheir definitions) Inductive Reasoning Logic and Reasoning Planning Problem Solving 2.Brain Age (Nintendo) $33.49 new (or some used from $1.00) for Brain Age I $19.99 new (or $2.81) for Brain Age II Skills developed by this game: Auditory Processing Divided Attention Math Computations Processing Speed Selective Attention Sensory Motor Integration Visual Processing Word Attack Working Memory 3.Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) andDance Dance Revolution Extreme (DRE) Dance Dance Revolution Bundle for Nintendo Wii for $39.99 (or used from $33.96) Dance Dance Revolution Bundle for Playstation for $40.00 (or used from $21.99) Skills developed by this game: Auditory Processing Inductive Reasoning Logic and Reasoning Numerical Concept Planning Processing Speed Selective Attention Sequential Processing Visual Processing 4.Memory Match Original Hasbro Version for $6.61 (or used from $3.00) Eeboo: Life on Earth for $14.99 Eeboo: I Never Forget a Face for $15.00 Skills developed by this game: Long-Term Memory Short-Term Memory Sustained Attention Visual Processing Working Memory 5.Perfection Perfection for $24.94 (or used from $9.69) Perfection: Fun on the Run Edition for $7.35 (or used from $4.59) Skills developed by this game: Long-Term Memory Numerical Concept Numerical Fluency Planning Selective Attention Sequential Processing Short-Term Memory Simultaneous Processing Visual Processing 6.Rook Rook card game for $3.99 Skills developed by this game: Divided Attention Logic and Reasoning Planning Problem Solving Sequential Processing Simultaneous Processing Visual Processing Working Memory 7.Simon Trickster Simon Trickster handheld version for $25.94 (or used from $5.65) Skills developed by this game: Executive Processing Inductive Reasoning Math Computations Numerical Concept Numerical Fluency Planning Processing Speed Selective Attention Sequential Processing Short-Term Memory Sustained Attention Visual Processing 8.SET SET Game for $9.42 SET Cubed for $16.46 (or used from $7.49 Skills developed by this game: Logic and Reasoning Numerical Concept Planning Problem Solving Visual Processing Working Memory 9.Stare! Junior Stare! Game for $21.99 (or used from $9.70) Stare! Second Edition for $29.99 (or used from $13.48) Skills developed by this game: Long-Term Memory Short-Term Memory Visual Processing Working Memory 10.UNO Uno Attack Game for $18.18 (or used from $9.80) Uno Card Game by Mattel for $5.72 (or used from $1.50) Skills developed by this game: Logic and Reasoning Numerical Concept Numerical Fluency Short-Term Memory Sustained Attention Visual Processing Working Memory 11.Where’s Waldo? Where’s Waldo: The Complete Collection for $29.70 (or used from $25.98) Where’s Waldo 1000-piece puzzle for $10.25 Skills developed by this game: Divided Attention Selective Attention Visual Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Definitions of Cognitive Skills Auditory Processing: to process sounds. Helps one hear the difference, order, and number ofsounds in words faster; basic skill needed to learn to read and spell;helps with speech defects. Auditory Discrimination: to hear differences in sounds such as loudness, pitch, duration, and phoneme. Auditory Segmenting: to break apart a word into its separate sounds. Auditory Blending: to blend individual sounds to form words. Auditory Analysis: to determine the number, sequence, and which sounds are within a word. Deductive Reasoning: inference in which the conclusion about particulars follows necessarilyfrom general or universal premises; the ability to deduce. Divided Attention: to attend to and handle two or more tasks at one time such as taking noteswhile listening and carrying totals while adding the next column withoutmaking errors. Required for handling tasks quickly or complete tasks withcomplexity. Executive Processing: a constellation of several complex, inter-related mental operations orconstructs including the allocation of attentional resources, workingmemory, planning, problem solving, response inhibition, self-monitoringand regulation, and the maintenance of mental sets. Inductive Reasoning: to make generalized conclusions from particular instances. Logic & Reasoning: to reason, plan, and think. Long-term Memory: to store information and fluently retrieve it later in the process of thinking. Math Computations: to do math calculations such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Numerical Concept: to understand the meaning of numbers and their relationship with othernumbers and quantities. Numerical Fluency: to quickly, efficiently, and accurately apply relationships between number concepts. Planning: to prioritize information and organize processes into a logical, sequential order. Problem Solving: to organize information, define the goal of inquiry, plan a series of sequentialsteps, and apply the steps accurately to satisfy the goal of inquiry. Processing Speed: the speed at which the brain processes information. Makes reading fasterand less tiring; makes one more aware of his or her surrounding environment;helps with sports such as basketball, football, and soccer and activitiessuch as driving. Selective Attention: to stay on task even when distraction is present. Sensory Motor Integration: to have sensory skills work well with motor skills—i.e. eye-handcoordination. Sequential Processing: to process chunks of information received one after another. Short-Term Memory: ability to apprehend and hold information in immediate awareness and useit within a few seconds. Sustained Attention: to be able to stay on task. Visual Processing: the ability to accurately create, maintain, and analyze a visual representationor picture mentally. Helps one understand and “see” math wordproblems and read maps; improves the ability to accurately perform mentalmath and computations; improves reading and comprehension skills. Working Memory: to retain information while processing or using it. The websites and analyses are provided by LearningRx. The Smart Mom’s Toy Box… Building your child’s brain skills without breaking your budget.To find out more about LearningRx’s programs for preschoolers, elementary students, middle and high school kids, college students, and adults, go towww.LearningRx.com.