10+ Best Brain Gym Exercises for Kids

As a parent, you always want the best for your child, be it the best of clothes, his favorite toy, or even a bright future. You want to do everything in your power to make sure that your child remains the best in whatever he/she wants to do. And intelligence plays a big role in this.

We can’t really say that intelligence is the key to success, but they do go hand in hand. With greater cognitive skills, your child can learn and understand faster and even excel in various tests and exams they will have in the future. And it’s not very difficult to help your child get there. Some brain gym exercises for kids can help boost their memory along with their logical thinking and cognitive skills.

Most of the development of a child’s brain occurs in the first few years of his/her life. And if you include brain gym exercises at this age, the benefits will go a long way in helping your child.

What Are Brain Gym Exercises?

Just like any other exercise is done to strengthen muscles, brain exercises stimulate brain activity and involve basic tasks and actions that need to be performed. These exercises contain several movements which help with your child’s ears, eyes, head, limbs, and overall body coordination. They contain simple movements that help in several areas like,

• Memory
• Concentration
• Coordination
• Academics
• Organisational skills
• Attitude
• Self-responsibility
• Relationships

Although it isn’t really clear as to why and how they help, many parents and people who have used them have reported that these simple movements have brought dramatic improvements in all the fields mentioned above.

Benefits of Brain Gym Exercises for Students and Children

• Helps your child get sharper and smarter.
• Boosts your child’s self-esteem and confidence level.
• Improves health and boosts the immunity and healing in your child.
• Improves eyesight
• Improves their creativity
• Boosts their communicative skills

Effective & Simple Brain Gym Exercises Your Child Should Learn

1. Double Doodle

This is a bilateral drawing exercise where your child draws two images with both his/her hands. This helps improve several skills like learning spelling accuracy, writing and recognition of symbols, calculation, etc.

2. Cross Crawls

In this exercise, your child will move their left arm to their right leg slowly. The slow movement increases your child’s mental coordination and attention. It can help release their stress and concentrate better on their studies.

3. Lazy Eight’s

This exercise requires your child to draw the figure eight either on a sheet of paper or in the air using their hands. This loosens the muscles in his arms and wrists and activates the creative side of your child. It also improves eyesight with eye muscle coordination and peripheral vision.

4. The Elephant

Let your child stretch their hands and place it next to their ear on the same side. After this, let them draw the sign of infinity with their extended hand for at least 3 times and repeat with the other hand too. This improves your child’s mind and body balance and also helps listen to words correctly.

5. Active Arm

In this exercise, your child has to stretch one arm and hold the other arm at a right angle to hold the extended arm in position. This not only increases the strength of your child’s upper body but also improves the hand and eye coordination in your child.

6. The Owl

Let your child sit comfortably and bring one of his/her hands to the opposite shoulder. Let him/her hold the hand steady and slightly pinch the shoulder near the trapezius muscle and then turn the head slowly towards the shoulder and take a deep breath. This improves blood circulation and improves the memory and attention of your child.

7. Gravitational Glider

Make your little one sit straight on a chair and then ask him/her to stretch their legs. Let him/her cross the right leg over the left ankle. Then, ask him/her to take a deep breath and lean forward to reach the feet. This enhances the flow of blood and oxygen and also stretches your child’s hamstring.

8. The Thinking Cap

Your child is required to hold both their ears with the thumb and the index finger and then roll and unroll the outer portion of the ear. This improves your child’s short-term memory, hearing, and peripheral vision.

9. Earth Buttons

Let your child either stand or comfortably sit down and place their right hand on the lips and the palm of the left hand on the navel. After this, let your child rub both his hands in their respective regions in small circular motions. This improves your child’s mental alertness and enhances their whole-body orientation.

10. Hook Ups

For this exercise ask your baby to either stand up, sit down, or lie down . Let your child cross their left ankle above the right one and then place the hands with fingers intertwined on the chest and breathe deeply. This lets your child’s mind and body relax and reduce stress.

11. Brain Buttons

Make your child place their right hand on their left collarbone and their left hand on their right collarbone. Ask them to apply gentle pressure and massage these points while taking deep breaths. This exercise can be beneficial when your child needs to regain focus during studying or other tasks.

12. Energy Yawn

Ask your child to take a deep yawn, inhaling deeply and then exhaling with a relaxed sigh. Tell them to stretch their arms out wide and let them drop down as they exhale. Repeat this process a few times to release tension and boost alertness.

13. Belly Breathing

Ask your child to lie down on their back or sit comfortably. Place their one hand on their chest and the other on their belly. Ask them to breathe deeply, focusing on expanding their belly while keeping their chest relatively still. Belly breathing can reduce stress and enhance relaxation.

14. Gravitational Midline

Make your child sit or stand comfortably and ask them to hold each wrist with the opposite hand. Now help them gently sway from side to side for a minute to enhance balance.

FAQs

1. At What Age Can Children Start Brain Gym?

Children can start with brain gym activities at any age. These activities are typically introduced during the preschool and school years and even as early as eighteen months old.

2. What Are Brain Exercises for Kids Called?

Brain exercises for kids are known as brain gym exercises or cognitive training.

3. Which Brain Gym Exercises Are Used for Calming Children Down?

Hook-Ups is one of the several brain gym exercises used to calm children’s nervous systems and relax their bodies because these exercises link the body’s electrical circuits and help circulate energy that has been blocked by tension.

So, go ahead and let your child be one of the smartest one in their class with these simple brain gym activities for kids.

References/Resources:

1. 5 Breathing Exercises for Children: all4kids.org; https://www.all4kids.org/news/blog/5-breathing-exercises-for-children/

2. Myths and ineffective methods; ebtn.org.uk; https://ebtn.org.uk/myths/

3. Carlos Ramos-Galarza, Cristina Aymacaña-Villacreses, Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas; The intervention of Brain Gym in the mathematical abilities of high-school students: A pilot study; National Library of Medicine; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9884215/; January 2023

4. Andrea Watson, Ginger L. Kelso; THE EFFECT OF BRAIN GYM® ON ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT FOR CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES; INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION; https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1029010.pdf; 2014

5. Nikita H Seth, Pratik Phansopkar, Sakshi K Kariya; Influence of Brain Gym Activities on Sleep Quality in Moderate Insomnia; National Library of Medicine; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9527040/; September 2022

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Best Mind Games for Kids
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