Saturday, May 21, 2011

Educational Toys And Puzzles

By Owen Jones


When people leave school or higher education, they tend to think that the learning part of their lives is behind them and that it is time to put that knowledge to decent use to create some money and have a family. There are exceptions to this model, of course, lots of them, but most people merely quit learning and start working. Some jobs demand that the person doing the work goes on courses and keeps abreast of developments, but most do not.

Unfortunately, the part of the brain that learns, the medulla oblongata, needs continuous stimulation, otherwise it tends to hibernate and each time it goes into hibernation it gets more difficult to wake it up.

Therefore, it is good advice to not stop learning. Hobbies require constant learning and so do educational toys and puzzles. 'Use it or lose it' is an apt saying with regard to one's ability to learn.

Everybody has to solve problems every day, but these problems are not the same ones that our brains need to remain active. We tend to solve problems in our daily lives without having to think very much or having to do any study. Examples of the types of educational toys and puzzles that are beneficial are crossword puzzles, word games and sudoku.

These educational toys and puzzles feature in most of the daily newspapers but some are simple and others are hard. If you purchase a newspaper in which the puzzles are too easy, either switch to another newspaper or buy mind games and puzzles books of the level that still test you.

This is the second-best approach though, it is better to have the puzzles in the newspaper that you read everyday and carry around with you so that the mind puzzles are there with you when you require them.

However, there are other types of mind games and puzzles that you might prefer. There are hundreds of portable games machines that you can put in your pocket or bag to be played in your dinner break or whilst travelling.

I am not thinking about 'shoot em ups' here, but rather portable chess machines, which permit you to play either the machine or another human.

However, you might not like chess, but you might like draughts (checkers), or any of the dozens of other board games and card games, like bridge, that have been 'computerized'.

On a different level, there are hobbies that can produce the right type of mind puzzle to keep your brain stimulated. Programming is one, mathematics is another. Astronomy or bridge are others.

If your child goes through a phase of illness and you are concerned that he or she might be lacking stimulation, Lego could be a solution. Lego is suitable for all age groups from babies using larger blocks to teenagers using computer-controlled motors.

There are loads of educational toys and puzzles for individuals of all ages, in fact there have never been so many, so just go down to the mall and choose one out for yourself or your loved one.




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