4 Old-School Games that Promote Cognitive Development

School-aged children develop strategic thinking and spacial awareness through physical play. Take a break from the tablet and grab one of our old-school analog games that will kickstart your child’s mind into high gear.

Jenga

A classic game that encourages budding architects to reach for the stars, Jenga pushes your child’s fine motor skills and structural analysis to its limit. A wonderful way to develop high-functioning skills while the stakes are low, Jenga and games like it also strengthen your child’s patience and tenacity.

Barrel of Monkeys

An exercise in spacial awareness and three-dimensional problem solving, the goal of Barrel of Monkeys is to create the largest chain of monkeys linked arm-to-arm without ever using your hands to directly connect them. Requiring patience and physical analysis, this simple game tests you at your own ability, as it becomes harder the better you get.

Chess

Chess has been around for over 1500 years, and for good reason. Not only is it actually fun, but playing chess develops creative thinking and strategic reasoning and has been shown to improve memory and cognitive function over time.

Jigsaw Puzzles

Nothing tests visual-spacial awareness quite like a complicated jigsaw puzzle. Requiring patience, visual problem solving and spacial understanding, a classic jigsaw is the one game that can can be framed upon completion as an artistic testament to your child’s hard work.

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