The Pokemon Trading Card Game Teaches Children Many Skills

G1 has a new craze – the Pokemon Trading Card Game. I thought at first that it was just another ridiculously expensive hobby until G1 learned how to play the game properly and taught it to me. It turns out that there is actually quite a lot a child can learn from this game. The

Why All Children Should Have Singing Lessons

“I don’t sing because I’m happy; I’m happy because I sing.” – William James We hear a lot about the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument and we’ve written about them in previous articles: Brain Scans Show How Learning a Musical Instrument Enhances Our Brains The Wondrous Benefits of Learning a Musical Instrument Why

Babies Gain Long-Term Benefits from Mom’s Prenatal Exercise

When I was pregnant, I was often told to “take it easy”. I was even encouraged to reduce the exercise in case I overexerted myself and harmed the baby. Times are changing and the research is coming in to support otherwise. In fact, it’s more than just good for mother, it’s also good for baby… Exercise

Bilingualism Resists Distraction in a World of Distractions

We live in a world of distractions. Everyday in every way, something clamours for our attention. It’s no wonder we lose track of our thoughts and the things we are doing. So how can we train ourselves to better resist these distractions and stay on task? According to the neuroscientists, bilingualism may be the answer…

A Montessori Education: Understanding the Montessori School and the Montessori Philosophy

Since its inception in 1907, the Montessori Method has been acknowledged as a successful curriculum for children. From The Montessori Mafia: Montessori builds innovators. The “Montessori educational approach might be the surest route to joining the creative elite, which are so overrepresented by the school’s alumni that one might suspect a Montessori Mafia: Google’s founders Larry Page and

Water Immersion Benefits Brain Function

Water is the essence of life We all know that adequate hydration is vital to our survival. Proper hydration is also necessary for our brains to function optimally because dehydration can affect memory, executive function, attention and other cognitive functions. Brain cells require a delicate balance between water and various elements to operate, and when

When it Comes to Exercise, Yoga Offers the Greatest Brain Benefits

We know that exercise makes you smarter, but if you want to get the most bang for your buck, the exercise of choice should be yoga. At least that is what a recent study indicates… Yoga Improves Brain Function More Than Aerobic Exercises From the Journal of Physical Activity and Health (2013) – The Acute Effects of

Mindfulness Training Can Improve Working Memory, Reading Comprehension, and Task Focus

In a previous post, we learned about the benefits of meditation (in particular “mindfulness meditation”) for modifying alpha brain waves and improving learning and memory processes. Recently, I stumbled upon an article that talked about how mindfulness improves reading ability, working memory, and task-focus. The Study: Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing

Brain Training for 10 Hours has Lasting Benefits up to 10 Years

This post has been moved to the Right Brain Child. You can read it here: Brain Training has Lasting Benefits

Playing Video Games Can Make Your Child Smarter

Video games can make your child smarter? Apparently so… “Video games involving navigation or other spatial tasks help boys and girls learn to visualize and rotate objects…  Encouraging girls to play video games could improve their spatial reasoning.” – Welcome to Your Child’s Brain How Does Playing Video Games Benefit Your Child? In numerous studies, video