“Education” by Sean MacEntee (CC BY 2.0)
Education is important. But so is relaxing and having fun. How do you balance the two? Simple. All you have to do is find the right games to play. These are the kinds of games that keep you entertained but also train your brain, giving you the best of both worlds. They could be online or offline – the important thing is that they provide that essential mix of enjoyment and education.
Play with Words
We’ll start with a fun one from the world of online casinos. Word Candy is a scratch game that creates a missing-letter crossword puzzle out of words to do with candy. The game is simple to play and your brain will develop as it strives to make connections between the missing letters. If you play Word Candy you might even win some money while you build your brain. Being a scratchcard game, where the letters are divvied out at random, it certainly offers space to relax, while there’s brain-building fun in that this game may gently build up your vocabulary, as you watch it fill in the crossword each time the square you pick matches the board.
Have Fun with Cards
Some call it solitaire, some patience, but the gist of this variant of card game is that you play on your own. This is a game of skill in which you have to arrange a deck of shuffled cards in a certain pattern. It can be played online or offline with real cards and the enjoyment comes from the satisfaction of getting your cards arranged just right. The learning element arises from all that thinking you have to do as you arrange the cards in the correct positions after they are drawn.
The Ultimate Board Game
“chess pieces” by Edith Soto (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The time has come for our list to reach a game that some people don’t find much fun at all. However, it can be incredibly thrilling and enjoyable. And the name of the game? Chess, of course. If you don’t think that this venerable board game is for you, it might be time to change your mind. Chess tactics offer plenty of room for learning. In fact, you could spend hours going over famous games from the history of chess, improving your memory and really building your brain as you learn. Drawing on a combination of logic and creativity, chess is also said to be very good for developing your key thinking skills. When you lose yourself in a game it certainly is fun and whether you win or lose you’ll usually want to play another game of chess immediately. Like patience, chess can be played online or offline.
Scratching the Surface
These three games are just scratching the surface of the multitude of options out there when it comes to educational yet fun games. The best thing to do is to try games out for yourself and decide if you enjoy them. Then, think to yourself: Is this game getting me thinking? If the answer is yes, it’s highly likely you’ve found an educational gem that you enjoy.
Nice!
Studies demonstrate that card games, puzzles, and board games are good mental stimuli and help promote brain health. This is especially true for older adults. Games also stimulate the immune system and can trigger the use of visualization, memory and sequencing skills.