How Your Brain Changes
Today’s topic addresses how your brain and your intelligence can change throughout your lifetime. If you didn’t read yesterday’s post… I am sharing my notes with you as I go through a course on the brain by The Great Courses – Optimizing Brain Fitness.
In the past, intelligence was considered to be fixed–something you were born with, like skin or eye color. We now know, however, that it can be modified thanks to the plasticity in your brain. Current technology, increased access to education, and varied leisure activities have caused changes in our thinking patterns because of the altered balanced between the abstract and the concrete.
Improved function of brain activity is based on circuits and networks. Developing and maintaining these circuits are achieved through learning. Think of your car: it needs to be driven and maintained in order to keep going. The same is true with brain circuits; upkeep, originality, and enriched experiences provide bring about growth and development.
Do you want to know some ways to enhance the plasticity in your brain? It’s time to take it back to the basics – the senses.
Here are some exercises:
Visual exercises. Choose a common item around your home, possibly a shoe or a lamp. Pretty much any object will do. Let’s chose a shoe just as an example. Hold the shoe and notice its color, composition, length. Using other senses- how does it feel, how heavy is it, (I will not ask how it smells. Ack!)
Auditory exercises. Figure out what sounds can be substituted for others. You can also play a guessing game with your kids by having them close their eyes while you make a noise with something in the room. See if they can guess what it is. Then switch places with them.
Motor exercises. Using your hands relates to the way your brain functions, especially activities that keep your fingers agile. Draw! Paint! Juggle!
Here’s an idea for the young ones: During our letter-of-the-week activities in ‘B’ week, we read about Louis Braille followed by a touch-n-sniff game involving spices, flowers, and fruit.
The little ladies sat at a table with their eyes closed, feeling and smelling everything while trying to guess the objects. This was a simple way to encourage them to use their senses.
Also, this is an idea encouraging kids to develop their observation skills by Diane Lockman from ClassicalScholar.com: Sketch out a 5 x 5 grid (1 column for each of the 5 senses) + 1 row for Monday-Friday. Let them draw or describe what they observe. Awards points for most unique findings.
That’s all I have for today’s nugget. I’d love to hear if you use any of these exercises with your child!
From a gal who is thankful for a brain that changes!
~Hosanna~