2024 Smart Mom’s Toybox: Smart Games & Gifts for the Whole Family
The holiday season is here, and we’ve got our annual roundup of smart games & gifts for the whole family! Here are some brain-boosting games, puzzles, and activities you can use to connect as a family, have fun, and exercise brain skills while you’re at it.
Slapburger
This is a fast-paced remix of games like Slap Jack and War that is great for kids and adults alike!
Skills it builds:
- Attention
- Processing speed
- Working memory
- Visual memory
Azul
Azul is a beautiful game of strategy where you create mosaics and try to outscore opponents!
Skills it builds:
- Visual processing
- Logic & strategic thinking
- Working memory
Battleship
It’s a classic for a reason! Battleship is a long-time favorite introduction to strategy games.
Skills it builds:
- Logic & reasoning
- Visual processing
- Working memory
- Long-term memory
- Sustained attention
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
We love this one for family game night! Get a group together and have fun while exercising your brain.
Skills it builds:
- Working memory
- Attention
- Processing speed
The Genius Square
Play it solo or race an opponent to solve this puzzle game with thousands of potential solutions!
Skills it builds:
- Visual processing
- Logic & strategic thinking
- Working memory
- Attention
- Processing speed
Spot It
This is a favorite fast game for kids & adults! With a variety of ways to play, you can get the whole family involved.
Skills it builds:
- Visual processing
- Visual memory
- Working memory
- Processing speed
- Attention
Bop It
Have a kid who’s not big on sitting down to play board games? Bop It is a great hands-on activity for the whole family!
Skills it builds:
- Processing speed
- Attention
- Working memory
Kanoodle
This is a great option to throw in a backpack for car rides or to keep hands busy while waiting at restaurants!
Skills it builds:
- Visual processing
- Attention
- Working memory
- Visual-spatial skills
Rush Hour
Rush Hour (and Rush Hour Jr.) are great solo games to build some visual & reasoning skills.
Skills it builds:
- Logic & reasoning
- Visual processing
- Working memory
- Attention
Logic Links
This is one that we use in-center as a brain exercise warm up or cool down! You can work together, play solo, or race to solve the clues.
Skills it builds:
- Working memory
- Attention
- Logic & reasoning
- Visual processing
- Visual-spatial skills
Puzzle Cubes
Whether it’s a traditional Rubik’s cube or one of THESE with other shapes, this is a great gift for the fidgety kids in your life!
Skills it builds:
- Visual processing
- Sequential thinking
- Logic & reasoning
- Attention
- Working memory
- Long-term memory
How to Draw
Books like this make great gifts for creative kids!
Skills it builds:
- Visual processing
- Visual-spatial awareness
- Sequential processing
- Attention
- Working memory
Paper Airplanes
The sky’s the limit! Upgrade your child’s paper airplane game with inspiration and instructions for more complex constructions.
Skills it builds:
- Visual processing
- Sequential thinking
- Attention
- Logic & reasoning
Origami Puzzles
This creative puzzle activity is great for kids and adults alike!
Skills it builds:
- Visual processing
- Logic & reasoning
- Attention
Criminal Mind Puzzles
This book is great for the amateur detectives in your life! Learn facts about past cases and put your reasoning skill to the test.
Skills it builds:
- Logic & reasoning
- Long term memory
- Working memory
- Attention
