LearningRx Warren Recommends 12 Free Brain-Building Apps

LearningRx Warren Recommends 12 Free Brain-Building Apps

Caught in traffic, car line or a long wait with a bored kid tugging at your arm? Break out your cell phone and download one of these free apps to help strengthen your own or your child’s cognitive skills. Exercising your mind is just like exercising your body: it’s never too late to start! That’s because the human brain is “plastic” (capable of changing at any age), which is a good thing.

1.Tangram

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: http://m.androlib.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: spatial reasoning, visual processing, planning

Invented in China, this game requires that users form specific shapes with seven puzzle pieces. Master the game through the Arcade mode and you can advance to the 1,000-puzzle challenge mode.       

2. Train Conductor 2 Lite

Available for: Android

Download at: http://trainconductorusa.com/

Cognitive skills: strategy, planning, processing speed

Voted “Best Mobile Game of 2010” by the Independent Game Festival of China, the “lite” version of this game requires quick decision-making skills to guide trains to their destination while avoiding disastrous collisions.

3. Tetris free

Available for: Android

Download at: www.eamobile.com/home/

Cognitive skills: planning, visual processing, processing speed

Slide, rotate and drop shaped pieces into place at a fast pace.

4. WordSearch Unlimited

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: http://jiuzhangtech.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: visual processing, strategy

With three levels and your choice of themes, each puzzle is unique.

5. Bubble Blast 2

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: http://m.androlib.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: planning, visual processing, strategy

Burst the different colored bubbles and launch chain reactions to eliminate groups of bubbles.

6. Hangman Free

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: http://www.optimesoftware.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: logic and reasoning, visual processing, segmenting

This classic vocabulary game allows you to play against the machine or a friend.

7. Soduko Free

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: www.Genina.com

Cognitive skills: strategy, visual processing, logic and reasoning

Your favorite numbers game from the Sunday paper is now available for your phone!

8. Blox

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: https://market.android.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: visual processing, processing speed, planning, strategy

Inspired by Tetris and Bubble Blast, this game lets you tilt and touch to play.

9. Kids Preschool Puzzle FREE

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: https://market.android.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: visual processing, planning

This highly rated game offers 20 free puzzles and lots of positive reinforcement.

10. Memory Matches

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: https://market.android.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: working memory, short-term memory

Tough enough for grown-ups but easy enough for young children, this classic card matching game can help anyone strengthen their memory.

11. Simon Says

Available for: Android or iPhone

Download at: https://market.android.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: auditory processing, processing speed, visual processing, attention

The simple-but-not-easy famous game is back!

12. Motion Math Zoom

Available for: Android and iPhone

Download at: https://market.android.com/ or www.itunes.com

Cognitive skills: numerical fluency, processing speed, visual processing

This fun math game has different levels to work for ages 4 through 12.

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While at-home mental exercise programs and phone apps are generally not intense enough to produce significant gains, if you push your brain with tough mental challenges, it can make a difference. Use these brain apps for a fun way to pass the time and keep skills sharp. To really strengthen your brain for enrichment or to help with an underlying, learning, reading or behavior problem, consider LearningRx Warren’s brain training programs. LearningRx Warren is one of 80 centers across the nation specializing in this type of intense brain training. Personal trainers use fast-paced, game-like exercises to quickly improve cognitive skills like attention, memory, logic & reasoning, auditory and visual processing and processing speed. It’s not just for kids! A recent study showed adults who went through LearningRx brain training improved brain function and gained an average of 11.4 IQ points.

So as you are thinking about getting physically fit for all this great Spring weather, remember your brain, and resolve to treat it well, too. The brain’s amazing ability to grow and change throughout life means instead of growing old, the brain can simply grow – if we continue to challenge it through training and exercise, and nurture it with quality nutrition, sleep, exercise and friendships.

If you would like more information about brain training and nutrition for good brain health, or would like to subscribe to a free monthly e-Newsletter full of more brain research, brain-boosting recipes and fun games, contact us at 908-22-BRAIN or visit our website at www.learningx.com/warren.