Cognitive flexibility isn’t something you likely think about on a daily basis, but it is something you use often. And you want your kids to be able to have the skills they need as they grow and reach new demands. There are plenty of Fun Flexible Thinking Activities for Kids that can keep them entertained while giving them learning capabilities that they will need throughout their lifetime.
Cognitive flexibility isn’t about stretching muscles, but rather giving kids the ability to think in imaginative ways, the ability to recognize rules, solve problems, ad other such things. Cognitive activities allow kids to perform in reading, math, and writing and it makes those skills easier to take in.
There are many things that cognitive flexibility allows kids to grasp on an easier level and there are lots of fun ways to stretch those young muscles. Here are a few fun flexible thinking activities to get kids going.
1-Go Outside
This is as simple as it gets. Kids spend too much time inside today, on various devices. Just going outside in nature can be calming and stimulating. And there are a variety of things you can do when you are outside.
But even just being outside, moving around, offers a change in sounds, smells, and other sensations. Take a hike with your child and identify different trees or birds to take advantage of just a few of the things nature has to offer.
2-Shift The Rules In Games
Kids love games. It’s that simple. And if you are playing a game with your child, it can be fun for them to shift the rules a bit to make changes to the game. It also gives them a more flexible way of looking at that game, and the world as a whole.
When you are playing a board game like Candyland, for example, start at the finish and go backwards. Take out all of the candy cards to mix things up. Try to find new rules in any game you play to make it more fun, different, and to allow for flexible thought processes to be stretched.
3-Transform Something From Nothing
It’s easy enough to create new things out of something that seems like nothing at all. When you are on a hike, find a pile of sticks and make it into a little hut for squirrels.
If you get something in the mail and have a cardboard box that you were going to recycle, let your child make it into a house for their dolls, cutting and painting it in any way they want. It can even be as simple as turning dirt into mud. Changing something or making something new from an item that seemed very simple before can bring the imagination to life.
4-Play Pretend
There are endless ways to entertain a child with pretending and it can also be one of the great flexible thinking activities. Play family and let your child be the mom. Go into the kitchen and play restaurant. Take turns being the customer and the server.
Food made from the imagination complete with imaginary money can complete the experience. Anything you do in regular life can be fun for a child to pretend to do. They even often like to play school, if they can be the teacher. If you’re the student, act up a bit and see how they handle that or ask a lot of questions.
5-Color Things Differently
Get out a coloring book and have an art session. But challenge your child to think in a different manner and color things oddly. Don’t color the dog brown, color him blue! The house should be pink and the people, purple. Color things in an imaginative way to make this one of the flexible thinking activities you enjoy together.
The ways to get your child to think are nearly infinite and these fun flexible thinking activities for kids are a great way to engage them and have a good time.
