Games that will help you improve your memory and attention

As an organic storage device, our brain compares favorably with digital disks. It is believed that it can store up to 2.5 petabytes of information – akin to almost three million hours of television. However, being able to get all that knowledge out of your head when you need it is another matter. To do this, the brain needs to be developed. We have compiled a list of plays, like craps games, that can help improve long-term and short-term memory.

These are crosswords and sudoku puzzles, puzzles, Schulte tables, quizzes, and listings.

Crosswords

One of the most popular pastimes before the internet and smartphones was crossword puzzles. This activity is considered a proper cognitive exercise that has several benefits:

• Replenishes vocabulary.
• Expands broad horizons.
• Helps relieve stress.
• Stimulates the growth of new brain cells.
• Helps prevent Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Solving crossword puzzles trains memory, erudition, and diligence. Research conducted by the University of Exeter staff, led by Anna Corbet, confirms this.

Sudoku puzzles

 Japanese number puzzles are an excellent memory trainer and leisure activity that is popular all over the world. Sudoku helps develop the brain:

• develop logic skills;
• increase concentration;
• optimize cognitive functions;
• develop memory.

Keeping a few numbers in mind and calculating the hidden numbers, Sudoku lovers stimulate the brain, preventing its activity from fading. Such charging for the brain prolongs life, maintaining mental health for people of all ages.

Puzzles

A fantastic way to train short-term memory is with colorful puzzles. Here’s why it’s so beneficial to use them daily:

• The brain sorts them by color and shape.
• The player uses figurative thinking to create a complete picture.

The more details, the better the training, the more interesting the process, and the more desirable the result of the assembly. Game manufacturers have come up with a more sophisticated option for advanced users. These so-called 3D puzzles offer a more exciting and unique experience of creating three-dimensional and realistic paintings.

Chess

What board games improve memory? These include checkers, chess and card games, Memory, Mafia, and Snowball games.

The classics of intellectual games are checkers and chess, which ideally develop memory and logic. Here are the four main areas that these mind games develop:

• Communication. Such games expand the circle of communication. New people mean new names and faces, and dating also trains memory.
• Non-standard thinking. The player lulls the enemy’s vigilance and prepares traps and counterattacks.
• Intelligence training.

While beginner players only use short-term memory, more experienced players develop complex strategies using long-term memory and develop their brains.

Schulte tables

They were invented by the German psychiatrist and psychotherapist Walter Schulte to study the properties of attention in humans. They are tables with randomly placed numbers or letters that help check attentiveness and develop the speed of finding numbers and letters in a particular order.

Schulte tables are used for:

• Improvements in peripheral visual perception.
• Speed ​​reading development.
• Memory training.

Based on these tables, many popular online games have been created that can be downloaded to a smartphone and used instead of paper counterparts.

Rebuses and puzzles

Rebuses and puzzles usually consist of letters, numbers, pictures, and symbols that contain clues to the answer. You will need some knowledge of clichés and expressions to solve these puzzles, and you will not be able to rely on implied or contextual clues as you would with an average sentence or word game. Tasks in different types of puzzles are various; choose the most diverse games.

Multitasking video games

Shooting aliens can be fun; it won’t necessarily stimulate your cognitive brain function. Games that require you to respond to a stimulus – such as a road sign or a new environment – while playing can improve working memory or your ability to recall information while you’re in the middle of solving a problem. A recent study also showed that such activity is modulated by neural markers that allow you to better deal with hindrances or distractions when extracting information.

“Memory”

The board game “Memory” is also known by many as “Find a Pair.” The rules are straightforward:

• 72 cards are laid face down on the table.
• Players turn over two cards, take identical pairs and return different ones to the table.
• After parsing all the cards, the player with more teams is the winner.

Poker and other card games

Poker is not only a popular gambling game for all adrenaline junkies, but it is also a great memory trainer. The most experienced players easily remember which cards are already out of the game, which are in opponents’ hands, and which are left in the deck. It allows them to collect a potent combination and win the confrontation.

There are quite a few winning combinations in the game. Professional players know them all. Like other games with incomplete information, Poker is good because the player is forced to use all mental resources to get a complete picture of what is happening.

Some solitaire modifications also sharpen attention and strengthen memory because the rules require the player to clearly remember the cards and their location on the playing field.

“Mafia”

Mafia is a club game with a fascinating detective story. A large team participates in it, simulating the struggle of various “clans” with each other.

It is a classic psychological game for adults, thanks to which attention, memory, and imagination develop. The essence of the game is to follow the words, actions, and reactions of other participants to uncover the opposing team’s plans and take them out of the game.

The Mafia has rather complicated rules that must be remembered and observed. To play well as a civilian or a mafia, you must understand what the players around you say and mean.

Choose from the presented selection the game that best suits the style, difficulty level, and implementation. All games for the development of memory can become daily entertainment and an excellent simulator for the brain of an adult, open to new experiences, a person.

Effective ways to improve memory and attention

Memorizing favorite songs, translating from a foreign language, and reading fiction – favorably affect the development of horizons and attention to detail. The main thing is to do everything with pleasure, then fatigue and satiety with the study will not appear.

The influence of adverse factors interferes with productive work. Problems have solutions:

• Lack of oxygen – walking in nature, physical activity.
• Unbalanced diet – eat healthy food and drink enough water.
• Bad habits – exclude smoking, alcohol abuse, and laziness.

Methods that include exercises, tests, and exciting games have been developed to develop intelligence and attention. Knowing how to improve memory and concentration – at any age, you can reach intellectual heights, think clearly, and remain young, curious, and open to knowledge.