| Do you have a favorite thinking game? As a child | | | | these mind challenging games and rip away the |
| growing up, I used to love to play games that | | | | games they currently play? Unless you are out |
| were puzzles, something to challenge me not | | | | for them to hate you, we don't recommend that. |
| physically but challenge my mind. We used to do | | | | But, allow them to have the ability to access |
| simple things like create objects out of clouds or | | | | these games and you may find that they are |
| find out what would happen when too much | | | | often drawn to them. Children's minds are like |
| water was added to the mud pie. Nevertheless, it | | | | sponges, soaking up whatever is thrown at them. |
| seems that many children in our society today | | | | So, they don't find their own puzzles to play with |
| are rather uninterested in those types of games. | | | | anymore. That doesn't me they don't need those |
| They now just do what the Game Boy tells them | | | | problem solving skills.Have you ever been in an |
| to.Recently, playing a Game Boy game, I found it | | | | environment where a child just can not do |
| to be amazing that the game was so simplistic in | | | | anything for themselves? They need mom or dad |
| that it often told me what to do when I was lost | | | | to tie their shoes. They need mom or dad to fix |
| or maybe unsure of what to do next. Now, I am | | | | their problem with friends. They can not solve |
| not a regular player nor do I know if this is | | | | their own problem. This is a large problem and one |
| common, but what happened to the fun of trying | | | | that parents need to take notice of. Can playing |
| to figure the puzzle out? How do you get through | | | | computer games that encourage problem solving |
| the door or find the missing item? You keep | | | | skills really help? They are not the whole answer |
| trying until you do, right?The good news is that | | | | but they can be part of the solution.What you can |
| you don't have to allow your children's brains to | | | | do is provide games like puzzles, word, math and |
| go whoosh! You can offer them computer games | | | | even card games that children can play on the |
| that are more mind challenging rather than time | | | | web or download them to your computer. These |
| fillers. Games like Mah Jong encourage people | | | | will help to strengthen their skills in problem |
| (children included) to develop a plan for solving the | | | | solving, in dealing with reactions, and in preparing |
| problem at hand. This plan is one that will keep | | | | for the unknown. Guess what? It's also a really |
| you focused on the goal ahead and keep your | | | | fun thing to do with your kids too! Make it mean |
| brain trying to figure out the next move. There | | | | something even more by playing along with |
| are hundreds of others that use all sorts of skill | | | | them!Sandy is a writer for the GrandMatrix |
| including solving problems.So, just what does all | | | | website. The team at provide a broad range of |
| this mean for you? Should you give your child | | | | games, puzzles and articles. |