Creative Brain Games

After several years of dormancy, I have begun to revive and update the content of Creative Brain Games. My intent is to review a variety of readily available games, books, and other products that can help us keep our aging  brains active in lighthearted ways. Most can be used intergenerationally, and most can be adapted for people living with dementia. My goal is always to help others make new connections in their brains and new social connections through sharing.

Listed below are Amazon affiliate links to each product, but you are under no obligation to order them through this means.

The Wonderful O

The Wonderful O

A lipogram is a word game that consists of writing new material or rewriting existing material by leaving out certain letters of the alphabet. (Lipogram comes from a Greek word meaning “missing letter.”) One of the most famous practitioners was A. Ross Eckler, who...

Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples

I am partial to games that encourage imagination and foster fun. One game that does both is Apples to Apples from Out of the Box Games (https://ootbgames.com/). It’s also a vocabulary-builder. The premise is simple: One person serves as a judge – players take turns in...

Spot It!

Spot It!

I first reviewed Spot It! more than a decade ago, and I still like it. Each of the 55 cards in the round deck depicts 8 various-sized symbols such as an anchor, baby bottle, ice cube, zebra, heart, moon, cactus, and ladybug – with a total of 57 objects in all. Take...

Gabbing about Gobblet

Gabbing about Gobblet

Gobblet is usually described as a combination Connect Four and Tic-Tac-Toe in which players “gobble up” their opponent’s pieces. However, you won’t gain calories or work up a sweat while you give your brain a strategic workout with this tabletop game. Gobblet is like...

UpWords

UpWords

Many years ago as a young mother, I was big into cooperative games. The other members of my competitive family were not. They played Scrabble® ruthlessly, entirely focused on points, while I was interested in filling the whole board, increasing my vocabulary, and...

Do You Doodle?

Do You Doodle?

People have a tendency to think they need to solve puzzles created by others – crosswords, Sudoku – to keep their brains active, but using your imagination is even better. The goal in brain building is to create new dendrites – new connections – in your brain, and...

Praise for Wait Lifters, formerly Wiser Now Wednesday

Kathy Laurenhue’s Wiser Now Wednesday is the only email I eagerly open each week and I’m on a lot of email lists. It always makes me laugh and think by providing me with thoughtful material that I didn’t even know I needed until I read it. I marvel at how chock full of information it is. Plus, the fun games to play keep my brain working and as a neuro artist, I’m all about brains!
~ neuro artist Laura Bundesen

Kathy’s Wiser Now Wednesday is chock full of interesting information and programming possibilities, all around a single topic. I am always amazed how many different things—from quotes to quizzes to trivia to art—she can pull together. And it is presented in her signature lighthearted and “punny” style that is always fun to read. I suggest everyone sign up for the newsletter. It will make your Wednesdays.
~ Nancy Ewald, owner/founder of Activity Connection

I love the wisdom and fun you provide. Even my grandkids enjoy the riddles, quizzes, and puns.
~ Cheryl Fell, Nurse FUNshine

Getting through midweek is sometimes a challenge. It is why I look forward to my Wiser Now Wednesday email. It always has something to help me realize how wonderful the world is and why I need to be grateful for it.
~ Allen Klein, author of The AWE Factor, Embracing Life After Loss, and The Healing Power of Humor

You rock!  Always love your newsletter.  I just ordered you book.  You are an inspiration.  Thanks for making my life better today.
~ Patricia Ryan Madson, author of Improv Wisdom

If you appreciate creativity, laughter and imaginative learning— Wiser Now Wednesday is a MUST READ.   It will engage your curiosity, tickle your funny bone and bring delightful joy to your day. I continue to share it with countless friends, and you will want to do so, too.
~ Mary Kay Morrison, author of Legacy of Laughter, founder of the AATH Humor Academy

Thank you for your constancy of ideas, compassion, and encouragement. WNW is always uplifting, practical, and inspiring.
~ Steve Wilson, Creator of the World Laughter Tour, Inc.