Training cognitive flexibility with quick games
Have you ever gotten stuck on a problem, not knowing how to move forward?
You try to solve a math exercise one way and it doesn’t work, but instead of changing your strategy, you keep insisting on the same approach. Or you have to adapt to a change of plans and find it hard to accept. This happens because cognitive flexibility is still developing and needs training.
The good news is that it can be improved, and a fun way to do it is with quick games you can play anytime.
Cognitive flexibility: the mental gym
Imagine your brain is like an athlete. If it always makes the same movements, it becomes rigid and hard to adapt. But if you train it with different exercises, it gains agility and strength. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to switch strategies, think differently, and adapt to new situations.
Quick games to train cognitive flexibility
Playing activates the prefrontal cortex and improves mental adaptability. Here are some games you can play in 2-3 minutes to strengthen it:
1. Switch the story (no materials needed)
- One player starts a story with a sentence: “Once upon a time there was a dragon that⦔
- Each person must continue the story with an idea that is completely different from the previous one.
- Helps shift perspective and generate new ideas.
2. Ghost Blitz (quick board game)
- Objects of different colors are placed on the table.
- A card shows a combination and players must inhibit their first impulse to choose the correct object according to the game’s rule.
- Exercises cognitive flexibility because it requires changing strategy depending on the card.
3. Forbidden words (no materials needed)
- One player describes a word without using certain key words. For example, describing “sun” without saying “heat,” “yellow,” or “sky.”
- Encourages creativity and flexible thinking by finding new ways to explain concepts.
4. Dobble (quick board game)
- Cards with different symbols are dealt out.
- Players must find the matching symbol between two cards as fast as possible.
- Requires constantly shifting focus to spot patterns.
Why do these games work?
These games force the brain to adapt to new rules and switch strategies, strengthening the prefrontal cortex and improving adaptability. They can also be played anytime, such as during active breaks between classes, to boost performance effortlessly.
Conclusion: Play to think more flexibly.
Cognitive flexibility is useful not only at school, but in every aspect of life. Being able to switch strategies, see different points of view, and adapt to change helps our brain work better.
Which of these games could you try today to improve your mental flexibility?
Sources
- Diamond, A. (2013). Executive Functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168.
- Miyake, A., & Friedman, N. P. (2012). The Nature and Organization of Individual Differences in Executive Functions. Psychological Review, 129(1), 49-74.
- Zelazo, P. D., & Carlson, S. M. (2012). Hot and Cool Executive Function in Childhood and Adolescence. Child Development Perspectives, 6(4), 354-360.