5 Fun & Easy Mental Exercises to Give Your Brain A Boost

Keeping your brain in tip-top shape can be challenging, especially for busy moms, but it is essential that we make sure that our whole body, including our brain, gets a good workout on a regular basis. Working out your brain doesn't have to be boring; this might become your favorite regular workout!

I will share with you 5 fun ideas on how to give your brain the regular exercise it needs to stay sharp. Don't worry it doesn't take a lot of time or expensive equipment to get a mental workout in every day. You only need a few minutes each day to flex your gray matter.

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my Disclaimer page. Thanks!

Mental Self-Care For Busy Moms

Self-care, especially for busy moms is so important. Taking a little time each day to focus on taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually will not only make you feel better but it will help you be a better mom. 

Exercising your brain can benefit you in so many ways like improved concentration and focus as well as other important cognitive functions. Here are a few more benefits from flexing your mental muscles:

• boost your confidence & self-esteem
• improve your memory & attention
• make you smarter & sharper
• improve decision-making ability
• enhance positive mood & attitude
• boost your creative energy
• improve your communication skills

Everyone will benefit from a few minutes each day of active mental activities and exercises. Your quality of life as a busy mom depends on it! Here are 5 simple, budget-friendly games you can start doing today and get your brain in tip-top shape.

5 Fun & Easy Brain Games To Exercise Your Mommy Brain

WORD SEARCH

I find word search puzzles so relaxing! It is a great way to fill time when you are waiting for an appointment, sitting in the car pool line, or just taking a few moments to unwind after a long day. 

Whether you like the electronic versions or the printed softcover book style you can still give your brain a great mental workout! Word searches come in a variety of themes like Bible verses, vacation themes, science, and seasonal themes. There is almost no limit to the themes these kinds of puzzles offer. 

App Recommendation: Word Search Explorer by PlaySimple Games (Google Play Store)

Classic word search puzzles with beautiful scenery to help you relax your mind. This app offers free to play word search puzzles that will help you grow your vocabulary as you solve the puzzles.

Printed Recommendation (softcover) : Large Print Bible Word Search Puzzle Book 

This puzzle book that you can purchase on Amazon has over 1,000+ hidden words! Each puzzle page contains a verse from the Bible with words selected within the verse that are hidden in the puzzle. Not only are you spending time exercising your brain but you also benefit from reading Scripture verses! This puzzle book makes a great gift for a senior friend or family member because of the large print size. Tuck this book into your bag, purse or tote to take along with you on vacation or to appointments. 

SUDOKO 

Sudoko is a great workout for your brain! This working-memory training activity, like chess, requires you to think three or four steps ahead to your next move. Fun and challenging games like sudoko will really work your gray matter.

App Recommendation: Sudoko-Classic Brain Puzzle by Shared Fun (Google Play Store) 

Beware, this is an addictive game that can help you train your brain!

Printed Recommendation (softcover): 1,000 + All Easy Sudoko Puzzle Book

MAZES

A maze puzzle not only challenges your brain but it helps with eye hand coordination too. These types of puzzles come in a variety of shapes and levels of difficulty too. A favorite puzzle for kids, mazes are also popular with adults. Completing a maze creates a sense of accomplishment while keeping your brain active and working in top condition. 

App Recommendation: Mazes & More (Google Play)

Printed Recommendation: The Amazing Book of Mazes (Amazon)

This book is full of handcrafted mazes for you to enjoy! Seventy-five fun mazes for you to solve.

CROSSWORD PUZZLES

A popular past time that has been around for decades, crossword puzzles are still a popular activity for people of any age. The benefits of working on a crossword puzzle offers more than just a challenging game. According to Harvard researchers crossword puzzle clues often force you to link concepts you hadn't pictures together. These features mean that crossword puzzles cause large areas of your cortex to be active, and stimulate new connections in your brain. So if you are looking for an easy way to relieve stress with a good mental workout I recommend that you try a crossword puzzle!

App Recommendation: Crossword Puzzles by Xpress Mobyte (Google Play Store) rated 4.5

Printed Recommendation: Amazing 2024: Easy Exciting Crossword Puzzles for Adults (Amazon)

This fun puzzle book has over 2400 words to decipher! 

BRAIN TEASER PUZZLES

Do you consider yourself a detail oriented person? If so, brain teaser puzzles that challenge you to spot the differences between two pictures or puzzles that you have to find hidden objects will be loads of fun for you. These puzzles can include anything from challenging math puzzles to visual challenges. Brain teaser puzzles are not only fun but they can help prevent short term memory loss. 

App Recommendation: Brain Test: Tricky Puzzles (Google Play Store)

New levels added every month! Rated 4.7

Printed Recommendation: The Fun and Relaxing Adult Activity Book (Amazon)

A collection of different fun activities that will keep you mentally sharp and entertained for hours!

WORD GRID PUZZLE (a.k.a Boggle Solitaire)

These types of puzzles are based on the Boggle board game. The goal of the game is to find as many words as you can with a given grid of letters but you can only make words for letters that touch each other and each letter can only be used once per word. Once you begin to master this type of puzzle set a time limit and see how fast you can complete it! 

App Recommendation: Boggle with Friends Word Game (Google Play Store)

Printed Recommendation: Boggle Your Mind (Amazon)

BONUS GAME - Boggle Solitaire Alternative!

Word Grid Puzzles (aka Boggle Solitaire) are based on the Boggle board game. In Word Grid, you’re given a grid of letters and must find as many words as you can.

The rules are simple: words must be made from letters that touch and each letter can only be used once per word. To make it more challenging, set a time limit!

Want to learn more? Check out How to Play Word Grid for a list of the rules, solving methods, and an example walkthrough. 

Your brain will thank you for all of these fun activities! Get your kids involved and make it a family fun night with a variety of brain teasers.

The 10 Most Fun Outdoor Games For Kids

Remember those long summer days where every waking minute was spent outside playing? No one dared to complain about being bored for fear of being assigned chores by our parents. Instead, we played through our arsenal of outdoor games until every single game had been played over and over. When we exhausted our game options we just invented new ones. Those were the good ole days!

Unfortunately, the lure of (or addiction to), electronics keeps kids from venturing out to play games like their parents or grandparents used to play. With decreased outdoor playtime many kids don't even know what to do when they go outside to play! 

I've got an easy solution to this problem. It is time for you to re-live a little bit of your childhood and teach your kids the games you used to play when you were a kid. Throw on some flip-flops and join them in the backyard to get the fun started. 

The key to playing outside with your child is showing them how to play these fun outdoor games. My kids love learning the games I used to play when I was a kid and yours will too. 

These games might seem a bit retro to your modern kids but they are still a ton of fun to play. Be careful these games and the fun they will have playing them might become some of their fondest childhood memories! All of these games are easy to play and perfect for any age (including adults). 

This post was written in partnership with Zulily. Check out these other fun outdoor kids games at The Find By Zulily. For more great posts click here.

10 Fun Retro Outdoor Kid's Games 

1. Red Rover - This is the perfect outdoor game for a large group of kids. Divide kids into two teams spaced about twenty feet apart. Each team holds hands in a line facing the opposing team. Team One chants “Red Rover, Red Rover, let (name of one child from team two) come over!” The child whose name was called runs towards Team One’s line trying to break through a pair of holding hands. If they break the chain the child selects a player from Team Two to join their team, but if they don’t break through the chain, they join this team. Play continues until one person is left standing 

2. Duck, Duck Goose - a classic that never gets old and great for all ages. Players sit in a circle and one player, the “ducker” walks around the outside perimeter of the circle gently tapping each person’s head saying “duck”. When the ducker taps a player’s head and says “goose” the player stands up and chases the ducker around the circle trying to tag them before they reach the open space.  

 

3. Drip, Drip, Drop - This game is just like a duck, duck, goose but with a wet sponge added. The “ducker” holds the sponge above each person’s head and when they want to select a player to chase them, they squeeze the sponge over their head to soak them. The person who gets soaked jumps up and chases the other player around the circle trying to tag them. 

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4. Mother, May I? - A fun and easy game to play with your family and friends. Select one player to be “Mother” and have them stand about 20 feet away from the rest of the players who should line up shoulder to shoulder spaced a few feet apart. The “Mother” calls to one of the players giving them instructions to move forward like “bunny hop forward three times”. The player must ask “Mother, may I?” and if granted permission by the “Mother” may perform the instructed steps. If the player moves and forgets to ask “Mother, may I?” they must go all the way back to the starting spot. The first one to reach “Mother” wins! 

 

5.  Red Light, Green Light - All the players start on the far side of the yard or playground except for one person who is the caller. The caller turns his back to the group and shouts, “green light” and all the players try to run towards the caller. When the caller shouts, “red light” and faces the players, everyone must stop and freeze. Anyone caught moving is out. The first person to reach the caller wins. 

 

6. Hot / Cold - one player hides an object while the other players look away. Then while other players look for the hidden object the person who hid it says “hot” if they close to the object or “cold” if they are far away from it.  

7. Ghost in the Graveyard - One person, the ghost hides while the seekers sit in the free spot and count, singing: “one-o’clock, two-o’clock, three o’clock, four, five o’clock six o’clock seven o’clock more, eight o’clock, nine o’clock ten o’clock, eleven o’clock, noon, noon we’ll be searching for your soon.” (repeat) but this time when you get to twelve o’clock say “midnight”. The seekers look for the ghost. When the ghost is spotted, they yell “ghost in the graveyard” and try to run to the free spot without being tagged by the ghost. The first person tagged now becomes the new ghost.  

8. Hopscotch - This is the perfect retro game everyone loves to play. Using sidewalk chalk draw a steppingstone-shaped hopscotch path down the length of the sidewalk. Players take turns tossing a small stone onto the hopscotch then jumping from block-to-block hopping with only one foot allowed to land on a square at a time, avoiding the block with their stone on it. 

9. Spider in the Web - All players stand together on one side of the yard except for one person who is the spider. The spider stands in the middle of the yard and tries to tag other players as they run across the yard to the other side. Anyone tagged becomes a spider. The game continues until everyone is a spider.  

10. Slithering Snake Jump Rope - A jump rope is all that you need to bring this retro game to life. One child, the Snake holds one end of a jump rope while the rest of the children gather in a center around the Snake. The Snake spins around making a circular pattern with the jump rope while the other players hop over the jump rope as it approaches them. Anyone touched (bitten) by the rope is out.

More Fun Outdoor Games To Play

Looking for more fun retro outdoor games to play with your kids? Check out this post: 20 Fun Outdoor Games For Kids on the Zulily blog The Find. Have fun making great memories this summer with your children!

Games are so much fun! Here are some other great games & activities your kids will enjoy - 

10 Awesome Party Games For Kids 

10 Fun & Easy Toddler Activities To Keep Them Busy

Top 10 Family Board Games

 

Pin these awesome games & activities for later! 

How To Make a Wood Coinhole Game - Easy DIY Woodworking Project For A Beginner

Everyone has heard of or played the outdoor game cornhole. Cornhole is the game where you throw bean bags at wooden boxes and try to sink them through the hole in the board or get them to land on the wood platform in order to score points. 

If you like cornhole I think you will love coin hole (or sometimes called quarter hole) too! Coin hole is like a mini version of corn hole but instead of tossing bean bags, you score points by trying to bounce quarters into the hole on the board. 

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my Disclaimer page. Thanks!

I saw a coin hole game recently and thought to myself  -"I could make that"! So that is exactly what I set out to do - make my own coin hole game. 

It turns out that making your own wood coin hole game is very easy, and it requires very little woodworking experience or complicated power tools. 

Today I'm going to show you how I made my wood coin hole game so you can follow along and make your own. 

This project is a great beginner woodworking activity. It would also make for a good project to do with kids too! 

How To Make A Wood Coin Hole Game Board 

Gather up the following supplies before you start this project

Supply List:

• 1" x 4" wood board
• hand saw 
• tape measure
• 1 1/2" spade bit or hole saw bit
• power drill
• pencil
• sandpaper
• wood glue
• finishing nails
• hammer
• adjustable clamp
• acrylic paint & paintbrush 
• water based sealer

Click on the links to find the products I recommend.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

1. Measure and cut the following lengths from your wood board: 

• (2) -  5" long pieces, 
• (2) - 1" long pieces. 

After you cut the wood sand each piece so there are no rough spots.

2. From the top of each 5" piece of wood measure down 1 1/2" inches then find the center of the board and make a mark. With the spade bit or hole saw drill a hole through the board where you just made a mark. 

Repeat this step for the second board. Sand the wood smooth with sandpaper inside the hole on each board.

3. Run a bead of wood glue along the edge of each 1" piece of wood. 

Line up the small piece of wood along the width of the longer board making sure the top edge of each board is flush and that the hole is not blocked by the small piece of wood. 

Use an adjustable clamp to keep the small piece of wood in place and let it dry completely. Wipe off any extra glue that is dripping. 

4. After the glue is dry flip the coin hole board face down so that the short bottom piece you just attached is facing up. Hammer two finishing nails through the bottom of the 1" piece of wood so that they go through both pieces of wood to add a little extra security and durability. 

5. Decorate and customize your coin hole board with acrylic paint in any pattern you like. Since this is an indoor game (for the most part) it isn't necessary to seal it but if you choose to seal it I recommend using a water-based sealer. 

How To Play Quarter Hole 

Now that you have your quarter-hole game all finished and ready to play here are the rules of the game! This game is best played on a hard surface like a table or wood floor. 

Each player takes a turn bouncing a quarter in front of the game board trying to land the quarter on the game board or get the quarter to fall through the hole. 

It takes practice to get the quarter to bounce correctly! 

1 point = quarter on the game board surface

3 points = quarter bounces through the hole

Play continues until the first person gets 21 points. 

Share Your Board

I'd love to hear or see how your coin hole game set turned out! The customization options are endless and I'm sure that will be the hardest part of making this project! I had a hard time choosing how I wanted to customize and paint mine but I finally ended up with a thick colorful stripe down each board. 

More Great DIY Craft Projects

Here are some other easy craft projects and woodworking projects you might like to check out:

How To Make A DIY Tabletop Hook & Ring Bimini Game

How To Build A Wood Step Stool - Simple & Easy Beginner Woodworking Project

How To Make A Rock & Wire Picture Holder

DIY Upcycled Silverware Caddy

Make sure to follow me for more fun DIY projects! 

Help Your Child Learn To Read With A Fun Reading Game

Playing games with your kids is not only fun but can be educational too! Reading games that your child can play with you is a great tool to get them started reading. 

 This post was written in partnership with Zulily. For more great posts click here. Looking for more fun games to help teach your kindergartner how to read? Check out these 7 Fun Sight Word Games To Play With Your Kindergartner you can make today.

Fostering a love of reading in your children early in their lives is critical to their reading success as they get older. Reading out loud to your kids is one of the most beneficial reading activities you can do as a parent. 

At some point however your child will begin to show interest and curiosity in knowing what the words are that they see on the pages of the books, you have been reading to them. Encouraging them to start sounding out the letters of each word is a good start towards learning how to read but it can get boring and frustrating. 

Fun Reading Game For Kids To Help Them Learn How To Read

Since kids love to play games why not try some fun reading games with your kids to help them learn how to read. Here is an awesome reading game you can play with your preschooler or kindergartner to help them learn how to read.

Word Family Apple Tree Game

To prepare for this game you will need the following:

• white poster board
• red construction paper
• brown craft paint (washable)
• green craft paint (washable)
• scissors
• thick tip black marker

1. Lightly trace out a large tree trunk on the poster board and have your child help you paint it brown. 
2. Next paint the palm of your child's hands with the green paint and press their hands on the space above the tree trunk to make the tree's leaves. Repeat this step several times until the tree leaves cover the top portion of the poser board. 
3. While the paint is drying cut out several (10-15) circles from the red construction paper that are about 3 inches in diameter. 

Playing The Game:

For this game, the "AT" word family is a great place to start with since so many words are part of this group. On one red circle write "___at", then place the circle in the center of the tree. Encourage your child to think of words that rhyme with "AT". As they say words write the first letter of the word on a new red circle and have your child put the red circle (apple) on the tree. When they are all done thinking of words let them "pick" an apple, hold it next to the center apple, and try to say the word that their apple + the center apple make. 

Continue playing this game by adding a new center apple from a new word family. Here are some word families you can use as you play the game:

mommysuburbia

Feel free to change this game up a little by using different colored "fruit" circles too orange for peach tree, yellow for a lemon tree, and blue for a blueberry (bush) tree.

For more fun reading games to play with your child check out this post I shared on the Zulily blog, The Find 7 Fun Sight Word Games To Teach Your Kindergartner How To Read 

Nothing is better than swimming on a hot summer day to keep cool. Playing fun games in the pool with family and friends makes those dog days of summer even more fun! 

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my Disclaimer page. Thanks!

Our kids love having friends over to swim and their time together always consists of active pool games, lots of splashing, and a good time. What I like about pool games is that for the most part they can be modified to include all ages and swimming abilities. There have been many times where a child who needs to wear a life jacket plays right along with those who are strong swimmers. 

I am happy to share with you our family's top five pool games that you can play this summer at your pool or a friend's pool. 

Safety reminder: all of these games require adult supervision!

6 Fun Pool Games For Kids To Play This Summer

1. TEE  

Before playing this game snag a wooden golf tee from your mom or dad's golf bag! This is a great game for all ages and abilities but it is highly recommended that lifejackets be worn by anyone who isn't a strong swimmer. 

• Everyone stands around the perimeter of the pool with their backs turned towards the pool except one person, who is designated as "it". 
• The person who is "it" takes the tee and jumps into the pool releasing the tee at any point as they swim to the surface. 
• After the person who is "it" climbs out of the pool everyone, including the one who was "it"starts to look for the tee (which will eventually surface and float). 
• The first person to spot the tee shout "tee" then jumps into the water trying to grab the tee as they jump. If they miss it the next person to spot it can yell "tee" and try to jump in and grab it. 
• The player who successfully grabs the tee when jumping in the water gets to start the next round. 

2. GHOST OR GO

Here is another great game for all ages and abilities, but lifejackets for those who can't swim are highly recommended though. 

• Everyone lines up along the perimeter of the pool and gets ready to listen. 
• One person is designated as the "caller" and their job is to say the word "ghost" or the word "go". 
• When the caller says "go" everyone must jump into the water, the last one to get in the water is out. The caller can say the word "ghost" quickly or very slowly to try and trick everyone to think he or she said "go". If a player jumps into the water when the caller says "ghost" they are out too.  
• Play continues until one person wins and becomes the new caller. 

3. STAR

Are you a movie lover? If so you are going to love playing this game. Follow along as I explain how to play this fun pool game. Use the shortest distance in your pool to play this game

• Designate one person as "it". Have them stand at one side of the pool with the rest of the players a short distance across from him/her. The person who is "it" thinks of a movie and gives only the first letter of each word of the movie title to the rest of the players as a clue. For example if the movie was Mary Poppins then the clue would be "MP". 
• Players must swim across the pool towards the player who is "it", tap their hand, and then say what they think the title of the movie is.
• If someone guesses correctly that round ends and they become the new person who is "it". 

4. SAY WHAT!?!

This game will truly test your reaction time and is sure to elicit tons of giggles from everyone! This game is really fun if you have a diving board to jump off of but if not the side of the pool works well too. 

• Select one player to be the "caller". Everyone else lines up to take a turn to jump off a diving board or the side of the pool. 
• From a safe but short distance away the caller calls out a topic to one player at a time as they jump into the pool. The player jumping in must shout out one or two words to go with the topic before they go under the water. Here is how it should go: as the first player is jumping into the water then the caller says: "type of dog"  player responds "Golden-doodle" the second person jumps and the caller says: "dessert" - player responds "icecream"

Here are some great topic ideas to get you started: general food groups: fruit = strawberry, dessert = ice cream, fast food restaurants = McDonald's, color = blue, animal sounds: cow = moo, duck = quack,   I hope you get the idea! Be creative with your topics. 

• Once everyone has had a turn jumping into the water a new caller is selected and play continues like the previous round. 

5. CATEGORIES

This is one of our family's favorite games to play in the pool! Let me tell you how to play

• First, select one person to be it. This person will select a category for the first round of play.  
• All players line up in the water at one end of the pool including the person who is "it" except the person who is "it" should stand out of the water with their back to the rest of the players. Then the person who is "it" tells everyone else what the category is for the round. Here are some examples of categories: months of the year, flavors of ice cream, NFL teams, school subjects, and tv shows. 
• All players think of an answer without telling anyone or saying their answer out loud. 
• The person who is it starts to name off possible answers and once a player hears their answer called they start swimming to the other side of the pool as quietly as possible. 
• If the person who is "it" hears someone swimming they quickly turn, jump into the pool and swim after them trying to tag them.
• When a player is tagged they become "it" and get to choose the next category. 

6. JUDGE GAME

Here is a game that lets you show off your serious (or goofy) pool skills. 

• One person is designated the "judge" each round and is responsible for picking the trick each swimmer must do and judging their performance.
• The judge says what trick everyone must do like the biggest cannonball, smallest splash pencil dive, funniest jump into the water. 
• After everyone has completed the round the judge declares a winner. The person who won the round gets to be the judge for the next round. 

Whether these are new-to-you pool games or you just haven't played them in a while, pool games are a fun way to enjoy the water while trying to keep cool.