Cognitive Training
A huge piece of helping our children overcome their learning disabilities or struggles is to target their weaknesses with cognitive activities. This is different than academic activities. For example, if the child is having trouble in math because of the inability to see the relationships of numbers, then cognitive activities that focus on noticing relationships of pictures, for example, may be given. The ability to compute is an end result of being able to see relationships.
Some of the more common cognitive difficulties that we see in the classroom are:
Poor timing & rhythm, visual & auditory processing, visual memory, auditory memory, and processing speed
Neuroplasticity is the understanding that the brain can always change, until the day we die. Our brain has the capability to build and change its neuropathways if given the proper environment. Researchers, when designing programs to improve the brain, look at intensity, duration, and frequency. Generally, programs to help change the brain are 5 days a week for about 20-60 minutes in length. The training will increase in intensity as the the tasks become easier for the child. This gradual increase in difficulty is an important element when working with your child using cognitive activities or games. As soon as the activity appears to be easy, you need to up the ante, always providing that cognitive challenge.
Some of the more common cognitive difficulties that we see in the classroom are:
Poor timing & rhythm, visual & auditory processing, visual memory, auditory memory, and processing speed
Neuroplasticity is the understanding that the brain can always change, until the day we die. Our brain has the capability to build and change its neuropathways if given the proper environment. Researchers, when designing programs to improve the brain, look at intensity, duration, and frequency. Generally, programs to help change the brain are 5 days a week for about 20-60 minutes in length. The training will increase in intensity as the the tasks become easier for the child. This gradual increase in difficulty is an important element when working with your child using cognitive activities or games. As soon as the activity appears to be easy, you need to up the ante, always providing that cognitive challenge.
Everyday household games that can be used to build cognitive strength:
Right brain activities: visual, spatial, whole-brain, long-term memory, creative
Left brain activities: language, logic, computational, patterns, details
Blink (visual processing), Scattergories, Spot it (visual figure-ground), checkers (logic/strategy), Master Mind (logic), Battleship (strategy), Soduku (pattern), Crossword (language), Word Search (visual figure-ground), Yo, Mr. Filmore book on a quick way to memorize the presidents (visual, long-term memory).
Some simple activities are thinking of lists (like all the words that starts with ___, or as many animals that live in the jungle); visual scanning for an item or differences between two pictures (there are several good websites for spot the difference games); and visual and auditory memory games. There is also an activity that is called the Stroop Effect which you list, for example, color words, but those words are written in a different color than what it says. Have the child focus first on reading all the words, then go back and say the color in which it was written. You can have the child also alternate between word and color. You can use this stroop effect for arrows and their direction, animal words and animal pictures, etc.
Using a metronome in class is very powerful and can help children gain an internal sense of timing. Set the metronome between 54 and 60 beats per minute while performing certain tasks and have them perform to the beat. This could be clapping or other physical movements, reading words, or solving math problems orally.
The Learning Rx Learning centers have published an chart to show what kind skills are being addressed with every-day games here. They have also provided some examples of cognitive activities:
How you can build working memory How you can build sound manipulation skills
How you can build mental processing speed How you can build logic and reasoning
Carol Brown (Ed.D 2016) does an amazing job at putting together a collection of cognitive activities that address a variety of skills. She uses simple, everyday items and games. She has a DVD to show you how to do the different activities. It is very parent and teacher friendly. You can find her workbook, DVD and other information on equippingminds.com
Right brain activities: visual, spatial, whole-brain, long-term memory, creative
Left brain activities: language, logic, computational, patterns, details
Blink (visual processing), Scattergories, Spot it (visual figure-ground), checkers (logic/strategy), Master Mind (logic), Battleship (strategy), Soduku (pattern), Crossword (language), Word Search (visual figure-ground), Yo, Mr. Filmore book on a quick way to memorize the presidents (visual, long-term memory).
Some simple activities are thinking of lists (like all the words that starts with ___, or as many animals that live in the jungle); visual scanning for an item or differences between two pictures (there are several good websites for spot the difference games); and visual and auditory memory games. There is also an activity that is called the Stroop Effect which you list, for example, color words, but those words are written in a different color than what it says. Have the child focus first on reading all the words, then go back and say the color in which it was written. You can have the child also alternate between word and color. You can use this stroop effect for arrows and their direction, animal words and animal pictures, etc.
Using a metronome in class is very powerful and can help children gain an internal sense of timing. Set the metronome between 54 and 60 beats per minute while performing certain tasks and have them perform to the beat. This could be clapping or other physical movements, reading words, or solving math problems orally.
The Learning Rx Learning centers have published an chart to show what kind skills are being addressed with every-day games here. They have also provided some examples of cognitive activities:
How you can build working memory How you can build sound manipulation skills
How you can build mental processing speed How you can build logic and reasoning
Carol Brown (Ed.D 2016) does an amazing job at putting together a collection of cognitive activities that address a variety of skills. She uses simple, everyday items and games. She has a DVD to show you how to do the different activities. It is very parent and teacher friendly. You can find her workbook, DVD and other information on equippingminds.com
Eyecanlearn.com is a free online resource for strengthening visual skills, such as tracking, processing, perception. It is fun to put this on the interactive white board to do as a class.
Sharpbrains.com is an online resource for research and information in brain science.
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BrainBuilder™ and Lumosity™ are two cognitive computer-based activities that target a variety of skills. I really like BrainBuilder™ because I appreciate the data it collects and how it tailors the lesson depending on what their current brain score is, as well as for its simplicity. The tasks are definitely cognitive challenging and some children can become resistant. Usually, I try to lower the intensity, but online programs, such as Lumosity, might be a better option since there are many more games from which to choose that target different areas of the brain. However, I find for my own children, BrainBuilder™ is easier because they know exactly what to expect and I do not have to explain how to play each game, and the session stops on its own. So even my 5 year old and son with limited receptive and expressive language are independent when using it.
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