If you are a parent who is concerned about your children’s mental health, alongside their physical welfare, then worry no more. You have landed on the correct article. Have you ever wondered how games can positively affect the mental health of your ward? Yes, they can substantially boost your kid’s mental wholeness. Let’s have a look!
1. Tennis is Fun
A lot of parents enroll their kids in professional tennis classes, while some kids just play with their friends and family. Either way, it is very beneficial for the kid. We are not unaware of the physical betterments of such outdoor games, but the mental benefits may come as a surprise to you. Like any other outdoor game, it channels the immense energy in kids into something positive. This, in turn, boosts them with an immense sense of satisfaction.
It also helps in direct cognitive development. Playing tennis can improve eye-hand coordination which is often a problem among some kids. While some children develop this pretty fast and naturally, many find it rather difficult. For them, tennis could be the way to go. Teaching the child may be difficult in the beginning but do not lose hope. With a systematic layout of teaching and endeavor, your child will definitely learn.
2. Chess
Do you know that people who have played board games like Chess and Scrabble as kids have grown up to be really smart? This should not shock you because anyone who can master the game of chess is held highly intelligent. These board games help children to build attention span and can raise their IQ significantly. Moreover, a recent study showed that playing brain-stretching games like chess can prevent Alzheimer’s and also improve memory. While they are a few health benefits of playing video games, it is much better to play games like chess.
Playing chess also enhances and empowers the decision making faculty of your children. Their minds automatically work faster if they are ever in a problem. Kids who play chess have a lot more insight and planning when they are faced with such predicaments. Children’s mental health matters and that is why it is imperative for you to look into it.
However, never force any game onto your kids. That may make them withdraw themselves completely. Remember you want them to enjoy the game, and it shouldn’t be a part of any discipline. Introduce them to chess playfully or simply play among your friends as kids love to imitate elders. In this way, they will sooner or later start developing an interest in it.
Scrabble is yet another game that could improve the vocabulary and retention power of your kids.
3. Memory Game is Still Fun
Remember when we were kids and didn’t have mobile phones? What did we do? We played memory games with our friends, perhaps. It used to be like a train of words that would go around with everyone putting a new word at the end of the entire list. Although it is less and less played among kids these days, you can always introduce your kid to it. Try to keep it simple and fun. As the name suggests, it works the brain in remembering and recollecting things in order and subsequently improves memory and coordination. You can also try puzzles.
Kids around the world are every day being diagnosed with several mental health problems. Lack of outdoor activities and addiction to electronics have become the causes of children’s mental health issues. Wouldn’t it do them great if they are again introduced to such healthy games which not only entertain them but also enhances their mental health condition?
4. Treasure Hunt
How about setting up a treasure hunt game with your kid? It is the most fun way to engage them in an exciting brainy exercise. Not only that, but it also encourages kids to a great extent because of the immediate reward that they get at the end of the game. Children often shy away from riddles or problems. You can include riddle-like hints in the game and see them have a gala time. We promise they will not complain. That will help them in developing analyzing skills. It will make them sharp and quick-witted.
However, you must keep an eye on your kids while they are in a room or all over the house playing treasure hunt. If the kid has to be left alone in a room where you have hidden the treasure, make sure you have a baby monitor installed in the room. That way, you will be able to monitor his/her activities while your little munchkin learns to get his way using his brains. Make sure you go through the baby monitor reviews before installing one. Always invest in a good one because you don’t want to risk your child’s safety.
5. Sudoku
One addiction of your kid that can never make you worried about them – Sudoku. It is crazy how fast children get used to it and stay engaged in it for a long time. Like any other brain wracking game, it may decrease your kid’s risk of dementia. Playing sudoku empowers your children’s logical reasoning power and can be of help in the long run.
It can be a great fun way to get your child to concentrate and improve his cognition. However, if it becomes very difficult to get your child to think and reason like other kids of his/her age, do not shy away from mental health counseling. Parents take time to accept the fact but mental health support is as necessary as physical health. Do not ignore the signs or pressurize your kids.
There you have your top games that can help your munchkin become a mentally healthy person. The violent and addictive war video games are pushing kids into an eternal abyss of depression, anxiety, and pathological gaming. Please don’t wait for your kids to pick up such games and instead, inculcate in them the habit of playing a few good games. Please share with us your experiences and how, as a guardian, you have tackled it. We would love to hear from you!
Author’s Bio
Amalia Liberman is a wife and a mother of two as well as a novelist and writer, the author has been featured in Women’s Health magazine and also written different articles in lifestyle magazines. Her passions lead her to search out knowledge with all her searching, and she doesn’t mind sharing her findings.
