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Memory Break Games

Multiple websites offer programs designed to help "train your brain," with the supposed benefits of these programs ranging from a better memory to helping to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's. In a 2007 study by the University of Michigan, researchers determined that memory games were only as beneficial as the amount of time and energy put into playing them. The study also determined that the younger a person is when he starts a memory program, the better the results will be. Individuals looking to strengthen their memory should take time each day to play memory games that improve concentration, focus and logical thought processes.

Match Games
- A well-liked game with young children, match games use small tiles, arranged in columns, that have different pictures on them. Each tile has a duplicate, and the object of the game is to find the two matching tiles. Players turn two tiles over at a time, exposing the pictures on each tile, then turn the tiles back over unless they match. The object of the game is to find the two matching tiles in the columns, and turn them over at the same time. To do so, the player must remember where they saw each tile when originally turned over. Match games help to improve concentration, focus skills and visual memory. Websites such as Free Online Games offer free match games for players (see Resources).
Sudoku
- Originally published during the late 1970s in the puzzle magazine "Math Problems &Logic Puzzles," Sudoku gained popularity in Japan during the 1980s in the magazine "Nikoli." Translated as "single number," Sudoku is a number logic puzzle that can be found published daily in most major newspapers. The game requires players to organize the numbers 1 through 9 in vertical and horizontal columns, without the numbers repeating themselves in any of the nine organized boxes on the page. Solving a Sudoku puzzle requires players to identify symmetrical patterns by focusing the part of the brain that uses logical thought processes to utilize short-term memory. Easier Sudoku puzzles can be solved in a few minutes, and would be a perfect memory break game. Free Sudoku apps are available for the iPhone and Android.
Chess
- Believed to have originated in India during the sixth century, chess has remained one of the most complex games ever created. Exhaustive research has determined that playing chess greatly improves a player's mental capacity in a variety of ways. In a 1974 Zaire Study conducted by Dr. Albert Frank, chess players demonstrated a significant advancement in spatial and numerical abilities over the non-playing control group. A year later in Belgium, a group of chess playing fifth-graders showed significant gains in cognitive development over the control group in that study, regardless of how well they learned the game. More recent studies have only confirmed what these early studies had determined, that playing chess is good for the brain. Players who want to learn the game, or need someone to play with, can use websites as Chess.com (see Resources) that offer free online games and tutorials perfect for every age group.
Crossword Puzzles
- Crossword puzzles require players to read clues and write out answers that fit the number of allotted, interconnected boxes. The game helps to improve the player's vocabulary, concentration and reasoning skills. With increased practice, players can shorten the amount of time required to finish a puzzle. By working quickly, a player can help to improve the rate at which her brain recalls and processes information.

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