<p>As you get older, it's important to prioritize your <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">cognitive health</a>. You can do this by leading a healthy lifestyle that includes eating well, exercising, maintaining social ties, reducing stress, and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">getting adequate sleep</a>. However, experts say there's also another, more targeted way to boost your memory: playing games that exercise the parts of your brain that encode, store, and retrieve information.</p>
<p>"There are different types of memory, such as short-term memory, working memory, long-term memory, and episodic memory. Each type of memory relies on different brain regions and networks, such as the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, the parietal cortex, and the temporal cortex," explains <strong>Gurneet Singh Sawney</strong>, MCh, MS, a Mumbai-based neurosurgeon and spine surgeon and medical expert for <a rel="noopener noreferrer external nofollow" href=" target="_blank">Clinic Spots</a>.</p>
<p>Sawney believes that the best memory games are those that stimulate and challenge these brain networks and regions, and also improve attention, concentration, mental flexibility, and both. Are you interested in learning which games will help to prevent cognitive decline and improve your memory? Seven great ideas for game nights that will boost your memory.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">6 Best Brain Games to Keep Your Mind Sharp</a>.</strong></p>
<div class="number-head-mod number-head-mod-standalone">
<h2 class="header-mod">
<div
class="number">1</div>
<div class="title">Chess</div>
</h2>
</div>
<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-389778" src=" alt="man playing chess" width="1243" height="843" /></p>
<p>Everyone who understands the rules of chess can play it, but those who memorized the moves and countermoves will be more likely to win the game. Sawney says that practicing the game can help boost your memory and give you a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">mental workout</a>.</p>
<p>"Chess is a game of strategy and logic that involves planning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Chess can improve working memory, as it requires you to keep track of multiple pieces and moves in your mind," he says. "Chess can also enhance spatial memory, as it involves visualizing the board and the possible outcomes."</p>
<div class="number-head-mod number-head-mod-standalone">
<h2 class="header-mod">
<div
class="number">2</div>
<div class="title">Checkers/Chinese checkers</div>
</h2>
</div>
<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-64435" src=" alt="Chinese Checkers Board" width="1024" height="656" /></p>
<p>Both checkers and Chinese checks are fun, accessible games that help improve memory in any age. In fact, a 2016 study published in the journal <em>Brain Imaging Behavior</em> found that playing handful of games, <a rel="noopener noreferrer external nofollow" href=" target="_blank" data-citation="true">including checkers</a>, was associated with enhanced cognitive function.</p>
<p>"The participants underwent an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests that spanned conventional cognitive domains of memory, attention, executive function, language, and visuospatial ability," the study authors wrote.</p>
<p>Regression models revealed significant associations between these games and immediate memory, verbal learning memory, and recall speed and flexibility.</p>
<p><strong>Diane Carbo</strong>, RN, a dementia care specialist with <a rel="noopener noreferrer external nofollow" href=" target="_blank">Caregiver Relief</a>, says she encourages her clients to play checkers as part of a dementia prevention program. She says checkers, with its simple rules, can help promote social connection, which is essential for maintaining cognitive health.</p>
<p>"It's great for interaction with others, even grandkids," she adds.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">The 5 Best Card Games to Play at Parties</a>.</strong></p>
<div class="number-head-mod number-head-mod-standalone">
<h2 class="header-mod">
<div
class="number">3</div>
<div class="title">Scrabble</div>
</h2>
</div>
<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-437232" src=" alt="" width="1200" height="879" /></p>
<p>Even people who are experiencing normal, age-related memory changes may sometimes find that a word is just at the tip of their tongue, yet still out of reach.</p>
<p>Carbo claims that Scrabble helps to improve memory and verbal fluency. The game rewards players for memorizing a variety of high-point words.</p>
<p>The dementia specialist says that even those with more severe memory loss may still benefit from playing Scrabble, with one slight modification: Carbo encourages using extra tiles to make words more easily.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">73 Brain Teasers for Adults That Will Definitely Leave You Stumped</a>.</strong></p>
<div class="number-head-mod number-head-mod-standalone">
<h2 class="header-mod">
<div
class="number">4</div>
<div class="title">Matching games</div>
</h2>
</div>
<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421788" src=" alt="group of friends drinking beer and playing party games at home" width="2560" height="1707" /></p>
<p>Matching card games may be popular for the toddler set, but don't let that turn you off—there are also several geared toward older audiences that are explicitly made to boost memory.</p>
<p>"Any matching card game is great," says Carbo. Carbo recommends trying out different games, such as those where you match images to each other and those where you match words to pictures.</p>
<p>Sawney recommends the game Concentration in particular.</p>
<p>"Concentration is a card game that involves matching pairs of cards with the same image or value. Concentration can improve both visual and auditory memory, as it requires you to remember the location and sound of each card," he tells <em>Best Life</em>. "Concentration can also enhance attention span and focus."</p>
<div class="number-head-mod number-head-mod-standalone">
<h2 class="header-mod">
<div
class="number">5</div>
<div class="title">Language-based games</div>
</h2>
</div>
<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-491318" src=" alt="Basic Chinese characters with translation and spelling on flash cards for language learning. Mountain (Shan), Sea(Hai), Moon(Yue), and Tree (Mu). Selective focus." width="1200" height="824" /></p>
<p><strong>Nancy Mitchell</strong>, RN, a geriatric nurse and contributing writer for <a rel="noopener noreferrer external nofollow" href=" target="_blank">Assisted Living</a>, says that language-based games are excellent for boosting memory because they challenge new parts of the brain, and promote neuroplasticity. She suggests games with translation flashcards.</p>
<p>"These flashcards contain a word or phrase in another language that the person may either be learning or might already know. They then have to translate the term to English, or their current tongue, to earn points," Mitchell explains. "This works because language learning and recall occurs in the hippocampus—the same part of the brain largely affected by Alzheimer's disease and similar cognitive conditions. The continuous use of this part of the nervous system promotes cell and nerve health."</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">8 Easy Ways to Make Walking More Fun</a>.</strong></p>
<div class="number-head-mod number-head-mod-standalone">
<h2 class="header-mod">
<div
class="number">6</div>
<div class="title">Crossword puzzles</div>
</h2>
</div>
<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-408222" src=" alt="Crossword Puzzle" width="1200" height="800" /></p>
<p>Sawney claims that a variety of puzzles can help improve your memory. In particular, he recommends crossword puzzles, which he calls "one of the most classic brain training games."</p>
<p>"These games can help test your vocabulary skills and draw on knowledge from history, science, and popular culture. Crossword puzzles can improve both verbal and episodic memory, as they require you to recall words and facts from your long-term memory storage," he notes.</p>
<p><strong>For more tips on healthy aging sent directly to your inbox, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href=" target="_blank">sign up for our daily newsletter</a>.</strong></p>
<div class="number-head-mod number-head-mod-standalone">
<h2 class="header-mod">
<div
class="number">7</div>
<div class="title">Rebus puzzles</div>
</h2>
</div>
<p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-490627" src=" alt="Older couple relaxing on couch doing a crossword" width="1200" height="800" /></p>
<p>According to the neurological expert, there's another, lesser known puzzle type that can help boost your memory: Rebus puzzles.</p>
<p>"Rebus puzzles are word puzzles that use pictures, symbols, or letters to represent words or phrases. For example, H + (EAR) = HEAR," Sawney explains. "Rebus puzzles can improve both verbal and visual memory, as they require you to associate words with images and sounds. Rebus puzzles also improve mental flexibility as they require you to think laterally and creatively."</p>
Experts suggest 7 games that can boost your memory.
