Brain training is no longer for baby boomers and elderly and helping them in their battle against ageing and memory loss. There are significant researches showing that brain training and fitness have significant and positive effects on children. In fact, manufacturers are creating games for children aged 4 until 7 years old.
Brain training has been used as cognitive therapy by adults and children who have dyslexia. There are also studies showing that brain training could help children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, in terms of increasing focus and memory retention.
Children have demonstrated that they are quicker learners. In Jean Piaget’s theory on children’s cognitive development, there are four stages of cognitive growth among children: the sensorimotor stage (during infancy), pre-operational stage (toddler and early childhood), concrete operational stage (elementary and early adolescence_ and formal operational stage (adolescence until adulthood).
In these four stages, infants would learn intellectually based on their physical development. Children as toddlers would show maturation in using language and at the same time, in their memory. Although, it would mean that their way of thinking is done in a non-logical manner. While during the concrete operational stage, children would be manipulating symbols in a logical thought. On their formal operational stage, intelligence is related to the abstract concepts.
By understanding the stages of cognitive development on children, it would give parents an understanding on when to introduce children into exercises that will develop their cognitive skills. Brain training would help children in organizing and logical thought, reasoning and even executing functions.
According to psychologist Keith Gibson, Ph.D., helping children develop their cognitive skills even before going to school would help them achieve academic success. In fact, it is important to stimulate the brain since birth. According to Dr. Gibson, it is more essential to teach children processing skills like sound analysis to help them visualize and create auditory associations.
Brain training is significantly different from tutoring. Tutoring children would only help them in reaching specific targets in their academics, while cognitive skills are not fully maximized and developed. At the same brain training and brain games are actually fun for the children.
Parents who have chosen brain training to complement their children’s education and develop their skills are getting positive feedback. Children experienced:
• Greater concentration
• Better skills in analyzing and solving problems
• Getting better grades
• Quicker response to different situations
• Improved self confidence and self-esteem
An improved confidence and self-esteem could actually help children interact with their peers better. Aside from that, they also proved to show better hand-and-eye coordination, that would help them increase their physical mobility whether in sports or other physical activities.
Brain training is a great family activity, not only would it help the children, it could also help the parents. Children could get positive reinforcement from their parents for successful training and its effects on their academics. Parents, meanwhile, could also maximize brain training to reduce ageing effects, maximize its benefits and also improve their mental health.
Brain training as we know it is the act of doing mental exercises to stimulate brain functioning and cognitive development. Most of today’s brain training package would include puzzles and logic games, flash cards, video games and other thinking exercises.
In theory, all these mental exercises are thought to generally improve mental acuity in such areas as memory, concentration and reasoning. They are thought to reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s-related symptoms and slow down the mental effects of aging.
As attested to by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), people who did their daily mental exercises have shown improved memorization skills.
Interdependent components
However, today’s medical practitioners believe that brain training does not depend wholly on mental exercises which were used to stimulate the brain and develop further its cognitive power.
Just like regular programs for regular individuals, brain training was found to be most effective when all of the five interdependent components are carried out in full.
These components are physical training, emotional balance, mental workouts (the actual brain exercises), nutrition and food supplements and healthy lifestyle.
Physical Training
Like the rest of the body, your brain is affected by physical exercise. Basically, brain stimulation is the secret in keeping your brain vital and supple.
The simple reason is that neurons need more oxygen than any other body part to function well. Study results have shown that physical exercise provides enough blood flow to meet that need. It also provides glucose and other nutritional needs for the neurons.
Among other things, it had also been proven that exercise increases cognitive brain functions, enhances learning, boosts memory and keeps away neurodegenerative diseases. (Exercise stimulates growth hormones that helps revitalize neurons.)
Nutrition and diets
Again, based on research data on brain nutrition, restricted-calorie diets can increase the life expectancy of your central nervous system. Researchers believe that restricting intakes of calorie triggers some mechanism that allows neurons to live longer.
Recent studies indicate that the Mediterranean diet (lots of fruits and vegetables, olive oil, moderate dairy and red meat, eggs and wine) tops the others as the most ideal so far. The same goes with antioxidant-rich food such as spinach and green cabbage as well as blueberries and raspberries.
Other brain foods include those rich in selenium and folic acid like whole wheat and lima beans. Flax, nuts, and foods with nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids (in most cold-water fish) are also very good.
Emotional balance and healthy lifestyle
Emotional balance is usually attained if a person has a healthy outlook in life. A good sense of humor and a healthy sense of curiosity and open-mindedness on everything around make for a good start in a person’s emotional balance.
Even at an advanced age, a person should always keep a normal healthy lifestyle. Everything in moderation goes a long way to maintain one’s health.
Super fuels
Certain substances such as caffeine (in coffee and tea) have been scientifically validated as “super-fuels” for the brain, giving a short-term boost to functions such as vigilance and memory. Some studies also indicated there may be positive long-term effects when these substances are consumed in moderation.
All in all, the brain exercises and the other components of brain training should be carried out together to get their full benefits.
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