Thursday, March 13, 2014

Activities That Boost Your Child's Brain Power

By Madeleine Bridgeman


If you are searching for ways to improve your child's academic success or just wish to improve their ability to think, reason and solve problems, there are many ways to achieve this goal. Children's grades and test scores tend to improve if they get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet and exercise, but there are also some additional activities that you can add easily to their schedule that have been shown to have important benefits.

Chess, for instance, has long been seen as a way to improve a person's ability to think critically, as well as improving arithmetic skills and even verbal ability. Consider having your child take a weekly Academic Chess class. These classes provide an easy way for children to learn and enjoy playing chess. Studies also have shown that playing chess seems to reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, so teaching chess to your child can benefit them throughout their entire life.

Along those same lines, there are plenty of other games that can hone a variety of important skills. Create a weekly family game event, and not only will you enjoy increasing your family's bond, you will be improving those little minds as well. For example, to boost verbal skills and vocabulary, consider games such as Scrabble, Apples to Apples and Balderdash. Games such as Boggle and puzzles improve spatial skills. Monopoly and Yahtzee can be helpful in improving math skills as well as helping them learn how to devise successful strategies. Most board games these days have junior versions so that children of all ages can enjoy them.

You might think of Legos as only a colorful toy, but these plastic blocks are much more than a simple plaything. Children boost their creativity and improve their fine motor skills by playing with Legos. Even problem solving can become easier when you play with Legos. Your community or school might even have low-cost weekly Lego classes where children can work together to build structures and machines, and there are even Lego camps to help fill up those long summer months.

A myriad of studies have shown that taking music lessons has a direct effect on academic performance, and there are many reasons for this. For one thing, learning an instrument teaches discipline, and a well-disciplined student is typically always more successful. Spatial skills and mathematical skills also have been seen to improve when a child plays a musical instrument. There are many instruments to choose from, including stringed instruments, woodwinds and brass instruments, but your child also might like to learn something a bit more out-of-the-box such as an electric guitar, keyboards or drums. Either way, you might consider Los Rios Rock School for your child's music education.

At this San Juan Capistrano music school, students not only enjoy a weekly lesson in the instrument of their choice, the tuition includes a true rock band experience. Student bands are formed and after weeks of practice, these bands perform at real local music venues such as the Coach House, the House of Blues or perhaps Stillwater. If you are searching for a Dana Point music school, a Laguna Niguel music school or a San Clemente music school, Los Rios Rock School might be the perfect place for your child to excel.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment