Stressed out about finals and final projects? Guess what? It’s time to play a game!
Puzzles and games were the stuff of my childhood. I loved them! As time went on, I went farther and farther away from these simple joys. I realized earlier this semster during midterm season that sometimes those “childish” activities are the most mature way to handle stress and rejuvenate.
This small 24 piece puzzle from the Disney movie, Finding Dory, was so fun to put together and made me smile everytime I saw it on my desk next to my pile of homework. My friends and I also played Scrabble (see above picture). This game required more thought and creativity but it was also fun to compete in a friendly way. Both these games took my mind completely off of all the work I had and I felt refreshed. Of course, it might take you a more complex puzzle, perhaps a 1000-piece. Personally, I felt an incomparable childish glee putting together this cute puzzle with characters from one of my favorite Disney movie franchises.
The concept of play as important to academic success is fairly well-established. Although the research tends to focus on children, it could be extrapolated to include adults since we all know that neural connections are no longer completely fixed and unchangeable even in adulthood.
If boardgames, cards, and puzzles are too 1995 for you (you disappoint me), then check out Lumosity, a great game app that supposedly builds cognitive skills too!
Published on May 1st, 2017
Last updated on August 16th, 2018