Kid-Friendly Activities for the Body & Brain The brain is by far the most mysterious organ, and despite the best effort of scientists and medical professionals, its complexity continues to leave us with more questions than answers. Take the brain-body connection, for example. From breathing and digestion to learning and sleep, our bodies rely on our brains to control all the body’s functions. Despite this indisputable fact, we tend to focus much of our self-improvement efforts on physical exercise OR mental health, but neglect to integrate them. It would help to know that physical activity can help kids, teens, and adults improve their cognitive and emotional health. Whether you’re looking to help your student improve their memory and problem-solving skills, reduce anxiety, reduce the risk of cognitive decline, or simply improve thinking and learning skills, physical exercise—especially when combined with good nutrition—is one of the best tools. It increases blood flow to the brain, reduces inflammation, lowers stress hormone levels, and promotes neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change and create new connections over time. If you’re looking to improve both the body and brain with kid-friendly exercises, we’ve got some ideas that work both simultaneously. 1. The Thinking Relay Race Rather than simply having a child jump, climb, or balance an egg on a spoon, create a relay race that requires them to solve simple thinking tasks along the route. For example, they may have to solve a riddle, finish a small puzzle, or spot Waldo in a crowded picture before moving on to the next task. 2. ABC Exercise Cards Download this free set of alphabet exercise cards that include a short instructional exercise for every letter of the alphabet (e.g., H is for “Hop on one foot.”) If your student doesn’t read yet, teach them the sounds of the letter and ask them to name other words that begin with that sound while doing the activity. 3. Character Tag Similar to the old-school game, TV tag, in which players need to name a TV show before sitting down to be “safe” from the tagger, this game expands it to naming a character from a book, movie, cartoon, or TV show. You can modify this game for older kids by having the tagger call out a new letter—which the character must start with—every couple minutes. 4. Timed Scavenger Hunt Head outdoors for a timed race to find all the items listed on your homemade sheet. (In order to heed “Leave no trace” advice, snapping a photo of each item is preferable to removing it from a park or trail.) Want a shortcut? Download a free printable sheet with both words and visuals from the Web. Adding a stopwatch to create a sense of urgency can help encourage skipping, running, or fast walking. It also boosts processing speed! 5. The Floor is Lava – upgraded! Depending on your child’s age, you can add math flashcards or trivia to this classic game that encourages kids to get from one end of the room to the other first—all without touching the floor or carpet. Use towels, blankets, pillows, cushions or cardboard boxes as stepping stones along the path, and ask them to complete a flashcard before moving to the next step. 6. Categorical Bowling Write down several broad categories based on your child’s age (e.g., farm animals, types of fruit and vegetables, things you’d see at the park). Set up paper or plastic cups like pins and then roll a bowl to strike down as many pins as possible. After their turn, have your child count the remaining pins. The number of remaining pins represents how many items they must name within the category in under 30 seconds. Have your child race down the “bowling alley” to reset the pins each time before running back to the top of the “lane.” 7. The Brainy Olympics Create a list of fun facts that include a variety of numbers (e.g., “Dogs have 18 muscles to move their ears.”) Read the trivia or facts aloud, encouraging your child to pay attention, listen, and remember as many facts as possible. Your child’s age will determine the number and complexity of the facts you share. After completing the reading, choose a question for your child to answer while they race to complete any one of a number of activities you’ve spread out across the room or yard in under a minute. Use any facts you like, including math, science, history and English. Mix things up by adding a physical element. Need an example? Tell them to demonstrate by counting while you jump rope or hula hoop how many muscles dogs have to move their ears.” Here are a few fun facts to get you started: • Math: What is 3 plus 4? What is 56 divided by 8? • Math: How many pennies are in a dime? • Science: How many tentacles does an octopus have? • Science: How many planets are there in our solar system? • History: How many original American colonies were there? • History: What countries are to the north and south of us? • English: What is the 10th letter in the alphabet? • English: How many letters are in your first name? Family Game Night Ideas Another easy way to incorporate exercises for the body and mind is to choose physical games, toys and activities for Family Game Night. Here are a few suggestions: • Bop It • Twister • Stacking Cups • Wii Fit, Dance Dance Revolution or virtual reality games that require movement Looking for a more intensive boost for your child’s or teen’s brain? Consider enrolling in one-on-one brain training with LearningRx. Visit https://www.learningrx.com/atlanta-buckhead/ today to learn more about how personal brain training has helped more than 100,000 children, teens and adults see life-changing gains.