How do you choose the best brain exercises for seniors? Experts have long suggested that activities that stimulate the brain may help protect cognition. It’s only natural to be curious about which activities will give your brain the best boost.
As Forbes explains, the answer may be delightfully different for everyone. After all, a brain exercise is defined as “an activity that engages your cognitive skills.” For the best results, you’ll need a pursuit that challenges you without causing excessive stress. In short, you need to keep learning at a comfortable clip. Seniors are unique individuals with different interests, capabilities, and backgrounds. Therefore, they’ll each need different challenges and mental exercises to keep them on their toes. Plus, it’s helpful to try a variety of brain exercises for seniors to keep the challenges fresh, interesting, and effective. Fortunately, there are plenty of possibilities.
Give Your Brain a Workout
Music
Learning to play an instrument can be a fabulous challenge. Many aspects can offer tremendous rewards. Unlocking how to read music is a type of puzzle all its own, but once mastered, it can be used with any instrument. It can also be used simply to follow along when listening to music or singing. Mastering the fingering and then working to train the muscle memory that comes with playing is repetitive. However, the joy that comes when you discover the improvement in your playing is amazing. Simply spending time with music can provide pleasure, and the chance to connect with other musicians is another delight.
Arts and Crafts
Creating is powerful. Whether you love drawing, photography, painting, knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, or something else similar, the work that goes into your projects challenges your brain to think, remember, plan, and make connections. In doing so, it helps to keep your mind sharp.
Writing
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” While the idea may have been expressed in earlier texts, credit for this quote goes to British novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who wrote the words in his 1839 play, Richelieu, as the BBC reports. Oddly enough, Bulwer-Lytton is also credited for an infamous opening line: “It was a dark and stormy night.” Now, his name lives on in a yearly contest where writers are challenged to craft a horrible first line for a terrible, never-to-be-written novel. Writing can obviously serve many purposes and take you in truly unexpected directions. Whether you choose to create stories, share facts, or write down memories, picking up a pen can be an intriguing way to push your mind.
Puzzles
You might prefer number-based puzzles like Sudoku. You might love word games like crossword puzzles or word searches. Or, you might delight in visual puzzles like jigsaw puzzles or spot-the-difference games. Alternatively, you may thrive on indulging your inner Sherlock Holmes with logic puzzles. With so many different types of puzzles, there’s something for every senior to enjoy.
Group Gaming
Playing games with a group will appear on almost every list of brain exercises for seniors because it combines the cognitive benefit you get from playing the game with the additional bonuses earned from socializing. Playing with a group means simultaneously thinking about what you need to do to play the game and to interact successfully with those around you. Whether it’s bingo, Mah Jong, cards, checkers, croquet, pickleball, or some other game, you’re giving your brain a workout.
Language Learning
The idea of learning a new language may seem impossible, but mastery isn’t the measure of success here. When exercising the brain is at least part of the purpose, then the journey toward fluency is what matters most. Simply studying the language, working to expand vocabulary, and trying to grasp its grammar not only helps you learn another language but also protects your cognitive health.
Online Games
Companies like Sharpbrains, Lumosity, and Cognifit offer brain games online. You can also find free versions of various card games and countless new video games that challenge you to solve puzzles or complete tasks. With an endless array of themes and storylines, it’s easy to find something appealing.
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Seniors who embrace stimulating mental exercises may find that they’re doing more than helping to fend off cognitive decline. Choosing a mix of activities allows you to give your brain a workout while having fun and engaging in pursuits that interest you.
At Springhouse Village, we encourage our residents to explore their interests and offer a wide range of activities and events so that there’s always something interesting happening. We make it easy for our residents to participate in our community. Whether that means encouraging residents to join an exercise class or assisting them in starting a garden club, we strive to help our residents thrive. To learn more about the amenities and services we offer, contact Springhouse Village today by sending us a message online or calling 417-708-3403.