Keeping your mind sharp is something that can really benefit your daily life; from improving your productivity at work through to improving your home life. Many people assume that anything involved with ‘tuning’ your mind is by definition going to be a little bit boring. However, there are plenty of games that you can use that are both fun and great for developing the way your mind works. In fact, many of these games are highly addictive! The real trick here is trying to get away from games and pastimes that ‘numb’ the mind, and start doing activities than sharpen the way you think. We’ve listed a few of our favourite games to help you out. If you know of anything else then feel free to let us know in the comments!

Sudoku

Sudoku has seen somewhat of a boom in the last few years, with many newspapers and magazines including games alongside their standard crosswords. A standard Sudoku grid is nine squares wide and nine squares deep. The grid is then divided further into boxes of three by three squares. The name of the game is to try and fill each row and column with the numbers one to nine, without repeating at all. In addition to this, each number can only appear once in each sub division (box of 3x3 squares. The game gets harder when less numbers are filled in from the start.

What’s it good for? Sudoku is a fantastic game for improving problem solving and sharp thinking.

Rubik’s Cube

The Rubik’s cube is a real blast from the past, having seen its heyday in the 1980’s. The aim of the Rubik’s cube is to end up with full sides of single colours. As with all of these games, it sounds pretty simple but in practice it can be a frustrating nightmare! Generally speaking, you start the game with the squares of the cube all mixed up, from which you need to organise them into single sides of colour. Most people spend month’s trying to solve the puzzle, but the world record is 5.3 seconds. Anyone who’s ever had a go will know that’s pretty impressive!

Crosswords

Crosswords have continued to be extremely popular for as long as any of us can remember. From simple crosswords making use of small and easy words, to the advanced puzzle’s using long and rarely used vocabulary; the popular crossword is a great puzzle for anyone. Most newspapers and magazines regularly publish a crossword or two in their entertainment section. Anyone who commutes to work on public transport will no doubt be familiar with the site of people trying to complete a crossword!

What’s it good for? Crosswords are fantastic for problem solving and improving vocabulary.

Arithmetic Games

With the world of calculators, mobile phones and computers, the need for mental arithmetic is diminishing year on year. Even career paths that previously depended on the skill are now using computers to do the hard work. The problem here is that people’s brains risk becoming numb and many adults fail at even the most basic of maths questions. One of the ways to tackle this and remain sharp is to regularly practice arithmetic questions. Sounds boring? It needn’t be! Personal entertainment devices such as the Nintendo DS have released many games involving maths and aiming to provide brain training.

What’s it good for? Simple maths games are perfect for staying sharp in the face of ever improving technology.