Brain Healthy Activities for Kids and Teens to Do on the Holidays

We all want the best for our kids but with so many options available how do we know what is good for them?

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Of course, they don’t need to be doing the right thing all the time, but the summer holidays are a lengthy period. It is important that most of the time they are doing things that are good for them. We want them ready to head back to school refreshed and ready for a new year of learning and development.

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What is brain health?

We hear a lot about mental health and the negative consequences that occur when we have mental health issues. Brain health is about keeping our most important asset, our brain, healthy so that we are less likely to have mental health issues.

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Brain health is what we do every day to create a brain that has extra capacity so that when things do go wrong, we have enough capacity to cope.

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Why should we worry about brain health over the holidays?

Why not just let the kids do whatever they want? Our brains, like our muscles, need to be used! That old adage “use it or lose it” is actually true. If you use your brain regularly in positive ways, then it gets stronger. If you don’t, then it slowly loses those abilities.

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All the great leaps and bounds your child or teen made during the year could be lost if they spend the holidays locked in their rooms ignoring their brains. Then getting them back to school when the holidays end is going to be difficult for you and even more difficult for them.

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But also, during the school year, there may have been difficult stressful times for them, and it’s important to use the holidays to recharge their energy and resilience – the best way to do this is to set them up for healthy brains!

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How do our kids stay brain healthy?

1.???? Connect with friends and family. The best thing any of us can do for our brains is to hang out and spend time (in real life) with someone we trust. Just sitting down and chatting with a good friend will activate more of their brain than anything else they can do. So time with friends and/or family is critical. Try to make sure you eat at least one meal a day together as a chance to reconnect (no phones at the table!).

2.???? Feed their brains. Eating healthy and drinking lots of water is also very good for their brains. So let them indulge during certain days but make sure that most of the time they are eating well and drinking water. We now know that the food we eat has a significant impact on our brain health. Lots of fresh healthy food is essential.

3.???? Limit screen time. This is a big one. Kids and teens spend a lot of time on screens when they are at school. We know that screen time negatively impacts on brain health so make this a time when they can have a reset. I find it amazing that there are school holiday programs that involve kids spending long periods of time on a screen. If you need to use the screen to distract them (I know, we do still have to work…), make it brief. And don’t pay someone else to put them on a device.

4.???? Board games are fantastic. There are the old classics like chess, backgammon, checkers, or Catan, and then there are some fantastic new options. Some of my favourites are Throw Throw Burrito, Unstable Unicorns, Here to Slay, Casting Shadows, or Exploding Kittens.

5.???? Learn something new. This is a great time for them to embark on a new skill. Enroll them in a “learn to” programs like surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, cooking, art class, martial arts, or any of the great options available. They could even learn about their brains at Brain Camp for kids. Many organisations have intensive programs over the holidays that both entertain and exercise their brains.

6.???? Go to a gallery or museum. If you are in a major city, you will find most of the galleries and museums have events for kids and teens, often free. And many libraries also run different programs. Look up a few options and check them out.

7.???? Exercise regularly. A healthy body is important for the brain. They don’t have to be running a marathon every second day. Simply walking every day can be very beneficial. I walk our dog with my son most mornings during the holidays. It is a great chance for us to reconnect and gets us both out and moving. Get them to do something every day to make it a habit.

8.???? ?Sleep! This is a sticky point for many parents of teens but good sleep habits are really important. And to maintain sleep patterns during the holidays will help them during the school year. A surprising thing about sleep is that getting up at the same time every morning is the easiest way to ensure we fall asleep easily at night. So, buy your teen an alarm clock (no phones in the bedroom) and set it for the same time every morning. It works wonders.

Having a brain-healthy holiday really is important for us all but even more so for our kids and teens. They will continue to build on what they have already developed; they will feel refreshed and reconnected, and they will return to school ready for the new year.

A person’s most important asset is their brain!

?Interested in becoming a Brain Healthy School or a Brain Healthy Business? Email me at [email protected] to discuss ways we can help you improve learning, innovation, productivity, and mental health.

Check out my new book “The Connected Species: How the Evolution of the Human Brain Can Save the World” at https://rethinkingthebrain.com/books/

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