Brain Workout
You have learned so much about your amazing brain. You know about attention, memory, quick thinking, careful thinking, growth mindset, and more. Now it is time to put it all to work. Today is Brain Workout Day — a set of fun challenges designed to exercise every part of your thinking. Ready? Let us go!
A brain workout is just like a sports workout — a set of different exercises that each build something different. Some of these challenges will feel easy. Some will feel hard. Both kinds are important. The hard ones are where your brain grows the most!
The Full Brain Workout
- Work through all five stations below. Take your time at each one. If you get stuck, use your careful thinking and try for at least two minutes before moving on.
- STATION 1 — PATTERN POWER (attention and careful thinking)
- Look at this number pattern: 2, 4, 8, 16, ___
- What comes next? Figure out the rule and fill in the blank.
- Now make your own pattern using any numbers or shapes and challenge a friend or family member to figure out the rule.
- STATION 2 — MEMORY MANSION (memory)
- Imagine you are walking through a house. In the first room is a giant purple elephant. In the hallway is a spinning pizza. In the kitchen is a snowman wearing sunglasses. In the bedroom is a rainbow-colored cat.
- Close your eyes and walk through the house in your mind. Write down or draw everything you remember. How many did you get? Memory trick: the sillier and more vivid the image, the easier it sticks!
- STATION 3 — THE RIDDLE ROOM (careful thinking)
- Here are two riddles. Take your time — do not rush to guess!
- Riddle 1: The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? (Answer: footsteps)
- Riddle 2: I have a face and two hands but no arms or legs. What am I? (Answer: a clock)
- After you solve them, make up one riddle of your own.
- STATION 4 — PERSPECTIVE PUZZLE (imagining and empathy)
- Look at this situation: Two friends both want the last slice of cake. Neither wants to seem greedy, but both are very hungry.
- Think from BOTH sides: What is Friend 1 feeling and thinking? What is Friend 2 feeling and thinking? What are three different ways this situation could end fairly?
- This is called perspective-taking — seeing a situation through different eyes. It is a powerful thinking skill.
- STATION 5 — CREATIVE EXPLOSION (imagination)
- Pick any ordinary object near you right now — a pencil, a shoe, a spoon, a cup.
- In two minutes, come up with ten completely different uses for that object. They can be silly, impossible, or totally invented. The goal is to break free from obvious thinking and stretch your imagination as wide as it will go.
- Share your ten uses with someone and see if they can add even more!
Thinking About Your Workout
Now that you have finished the five stations, take a moment to think about what just happened. You used attention to stay with each challenge. You used memory to hold information while working. You used careful thinking to work through the riddles step by step. You used imagination to think about perspectives and creative uses. You used persistence to keep going even when it felt tricky. All of that happened in one brain workout. That is how many different skills are packed inside your amazing head.
A workout done once is nice. A workout done every week builds real strength. The same is true for your brain. Try to do one small brain challenge every day — a riddle, a puzzle, a creative problem, or even just asking yourself why about something you see. Those daily workouts add up to a powerfully strong mind.
In Station 1, the pattern was 2, 4, 8, 16. What number comes next, and what is the rule?
In Station 4, you thought about the situation from both friends perspectives. What thinking skill is this called?
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer