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7 Fun Games That Might Improve Your Mind’s Health

Many forms of media and entertainment are amazing and provide you with hours of enjoyment. One issue with many of these options is that they are passive forms of entertainment and do not require you to put in much mental stimulation to participate in. This can have detrimental effects on your long term mental health. With that in mind, here are seven fun games that might improve your mind’s health.

fun board games for mental health

Crossword Puzzles

Crossword puzzles are a great way to incorporate their love of different trivia with word focused puzzles. There are many categories to choose from, from sports to pop-culture and celebrities, to general knowledge, making this a suitable activity for anyone. This helps people maintain and practice their memory as well as utilizing their brains to figure out clues and words that don’t immediately jump out at them. 

Scrabble

Word games are a great way to keep the mind in good shape. This helps people to continue practicing their cognitive skills in assembling words and expanding their vocabulary. Of course, some players may be more skilled and experienced, which makes unscrambling tools, which can be found with a visit here, perfect for an even playing field and allowing even newer players to enjoy. Scrabble is the perfect game that provides players tiles to unscramble to create the perfect word and involves strategy in how to play them with the board and other players.

Word Searches

Speaking of word-based games, word searches are a great way to remain engaged and mentally active with less effort than other word-based puzzle games. This can be a great introduction and stepping stone towards games like Scrabble or simply a way to relax for those that love word activities but don’t want to deal with stressful competition. Word searches are also beneficial for spatial learning and quick word association.

Sudoku

Transitioning away from words and letters and moving onto numbers, sudokus provide a greater challenge than some other puzzles. There is no math involved, so those that are not interested in doing calculations need not worry. Instead, there is pattern recognition that is involved in these 9x9 numbered puzzles. The game concept is easy, placing the numbers 1-9 into the puzzle without the same numbers being in the same box or intersecting in the same lines, but like all puzzles, finding their solutions is much harder. There are different difficulty levels to consider, from beginner to experienced, so anyone can enjoy these puzzle sets.

Chess

The timeless game of chess has been around for many years and will always be a game that provides a lot of mental activity and exercise. With chess, you always have to be thinking several moves ahead, preparing and anticipating your opponent, and reacting to how they play as well. Like many puzzles, you can look at a board and the layout of the pieces during the game and attempt to analyze it to find the best solutions. But because you are playing with an opponent that you may not be able to predict, the puzzle keeps changing, and you have to be able to adapt. Chess is the perfect game to keep your mind healthy.
board games that can help soothe your mental health issues

Poker And Card Games

A deck of cards can provide players with an almost limitless amount of games to keep their minds engaged. There are different games suitable for different ages and mental capacities, as well as games that allow you to play with other players or enjoy some time by yourself. While many games focus on the cards themselves, the variations of poker provide games that force you to also have to consider the opposition and how they play. This is perfect for those that are competitive and want to keep mentally prepared and guessing, always engaged, and trying to think about how best to play your hand.

Jigsaw Puzzles

For those looking for something more relaxing that you can do at your own pace, working on a jigsaw puzzle provides just enough mental stimulus to engage people with the surroundings, searching for and making constant connections without providing too much stress. Puzzles are great in that they will provide an end goal to reach that will feel satisfying upon completion. There is no competitive nature to puzzling, but they require you to take a more active role, which translates to more mental stimulation than many other activities.

It is always important to find ways to relax and destress after a long and tiring day. There is a need to find a balance sometimes to ensure that your mind is being engaged and getting the mental exercises it needs for good long term health. Make sure to keep that balance and play some games that will exercise your brain from time to time.

Susan Harris

By Susan Harris

Susan Harris is the owner of Rooted Mama Health. She is the mother to two amazing children and wife of a loving husband. She strives to provide the world with all the information they need to live a happy and health lifestyle.