Childhood is the time when a child indulges in studying different kinds of subjects and learning new skills. It is a dynamic period of massive cognitive development. The joy of such experiences becomes multifold if a child can retain all the learnings for a longer time. Good concentration power and problem-solving skills can massively impact a child's ability to understand concepts in a class.
While there are numerous ways through which kids may enhance their memory retention, and concentration, memory games are one of the best ways to work on a child’s imagination and memory. These games are designed in a way that the child gets engaged in solving various problems while working on their memory. For parents looking for such creative games, here is a list of some mentally stimulating games that may benefit your child's ability to retain information.
Here is a list of some super fun guessing games for kids.
This is a game in which parents need to arrange for some colorful cue cards. Each of these cards will have a picture on one side and a plain colorful background on the other side. The pictures will be in pairs, which means that two cards will have the same picture. Parents will have to randomly arrange the cards on a flat surface and the blank side of the card should be visible to the child. Now, the child will flip each card at a time. With each turn, the child will have to remember the placement of all the cards and find out the pairs. The game is about taking a minimum number of turns to find a pair for the card.
This is a great game if you want to teach your child some new words and enhance their vocabulary. Parents would need flashcards with a word written on each. Now you have to simply show the flash card to your child and ask them to repeat after you. Practice this again and again and after satisfactory reputation, you may simply show the starting word from the flashcard and ask the child to guess the rest. This will check whether the child has retained the information through multiple trials or not.
This is a game that can be played by using some real objects that are present in the home. It's a hands-on learning activity in which the child can connect with their immediate surroundings to enhance their vocabulary and also work on their grammar. What parents can do is simply put several random objects in a large cardboard box. Now, without looking at the object, parents can ask the child to guess the object based on touching it. You will see that with each new try, the kid gets better at guessing the mystery object. The game is also really fun as you can expect kids to give some hilarious guesses.
This is the cult classic charade game in which kids have to act out a particular movie, book, or word that has been given to them by the rival team or their opponent. In this activity, the child has to rely on their actions and body language to make other kids in their team guess the right word or the movie. It's a highly experiential game that brings out the best and the most creative side among kids. Another great aspect of this game is that it can be modified as per the complexity level by giving the other child some specific time limit or setting restrictions to make it even more challenging.
To play this guessing game, the parent of the teacher will have to think of a particular word or phrase and then give a similar clue to the child. For example, if the teacher thinks of the word ‘moon’, then she will have to give a clue like, ‘You can see me at night when I shine bright’. This is a great way to make the child think more creatively and solve problems from an analytical perspective. As the child gets good at it, parents may start giving some more indirect and complex clues to make the game more interesting.
Pictionary is a remarkable guessing game if you are just starting to make your child indulge in some cognitively stimulating activities. When playing this game, the teacher or the parent can simply show some images on a big screen or even phone to the child. Based on the image, the child has to see a word or a phrase that comes to their mind. For kids who are just starting, parents may show them some basic images like those of animals or objects. As the child begins to get better at this game, parents may show some more complex and open-ended images that can be interpreted subjectively.
All of these are some effective guest games that may not just improve a child's ability to retain information but also enhance their vocabulary. If the child can guess everything correctly, then parents may start introducing more complicated games to keep the child engaged and make them think more critically. It may also improve a child's ability to concentrate for a longer time.