Online games to help sharpen the mind: As you get older, it’s important to remember that mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness. Like the rest of the body, it’s easy for the brain to become ‘unfit’ if you don’t work to keep it healthy and active, and there are a multitude of methods for helping you achieve this goal.
One of the best ways to get started is by playing games. Games aren’t only for children, nor are they solely for having fun; they can be a great way to help train various areas of the brain to help improve focus, memory, cognition, and general well-being.
In this article, you’ll learn about six free online games you can get started with today keep your mind active and healthy!
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1. Sudoku
Sudoku looks pretty complicated, and perhaps quite boring to some, but don’t let appearances deceive you. There’s a reason that this is one of the most popular games in the world.
At its core, Sudoku is a number-based puzzle game with a focus on logic and pattern recognition. It’s played on a 9×9 grid that’s further divided into 3×3 squares, and the idea is to fill each row and column with the numbers 1 to 9 without having any repeating.
It’s a great game for increasing your attention span and working on your problem-solving abilities, and even though numbers feature heavily, there’s no real maths involved.
2. Online Card Games
Card games are a great way to train the brain in a number of different ways, and there are so many types to choose from that it’ll be easy to find one that resonates with you.
Hearts, for example, is a great place to start. The game is played with four players, with each player trying to avoid collecting any hearts or the Queen of Spades. It trains your ability to think strategically as well as your overall memory.
Then, you have games like Solitaire that are played alone, which is thought to significantly enhance your cognitive agility.
3. 2048
2048 is a great game for those who love quick maths. Played on a 4×4 grid, the aim is to swipe right, left, up, or down to match identical numbered tiles – but it’s not quite that easy. Every new move adds a new tile to the game that you then must subsequently clear.
This is another excellent option for training your mind to plan ahead and multitask, and to do so at speed while under pressure.
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4. Wordle
Wordle has become incredibly popular over the last few years, and given its simple yet addictive premise, it’s easy to see why.
Players are given six tries to guess a hidden five-letter word, and use colors to figure out whether they’re right or wrong about a certain letter. It’s a basic game of deduction – great for building your vocabulary and training your brain’s logic systems.
5. Chess
A list like this wouldn’t be complete without Chess. If you’re unfamiliar with the rules, the game is played between two people with 16 pieces on either side, which each have a set arsenal of moves they can perform. Each player’s goal is to take it in turns to move and successfully take the other player’s pieces, eventually checkmating their king so that no more moves can be performed.
Chess is considered one of the deepest strategy games of all time, engaging the areas of the brain active in problem solving, pattern recognition, foresight, and more.
6. Lumosity
Lumosity comprises an array of mini-games that target specific areas of the brain to train different cognitive skills, such as holding attention and memory building. The platform is built by a team of scientists who work to ensure every game is finely tuned to provide a learning experience, and they also offer daily mind ‘workouts’ in a structured format to keep you progressing.
There are 50+ games available to make certain you never get bored, and the game tailors the experience to your specific skill level and age.
Wrapping Up
The above list of six games is a brilliant place to start building the cognitive skills you need to support your brain, but of course, it’s also key to adhere to the core tenets of a healthy lifestyle.
Getting enough exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and ensuring you keep a solid sleep schedule are all extremely important, too. All matters of health require a holistic approach, and that sentiment couldn’t be more true when it comes to the brain!
