With the summer holidays looming, many parents are currently planning a monumental childcare juggle – and wondering how they can avoid losing their children to screens for six weeks. There are so many options for children’s activities these days that it can be difficult to choose. But which ones really make a difference to your child’s happiness, development and IQ?
From dressing up to martial arts, eating eggs to going for a run, here are 21 low-effort ways to boost your child’s brain power – all of them backed by science.
1. Delegate the housework or budgeting for the weekly shop
Great news for parents: getting the kids to chip in with the chores can actually boost their brain power. A 2022 study in Australia found a link between housework and cognitive development, especially planning, following instructions and multitasking
“Give them a budget and get them to sort the shopping for the week,” suggests Natalie Costa. “If you’re doing a clear-out, get them to help, or enlist them in doing chores for the neighbours.
“All this will expand their horizons, give them a sense of purpose and keep their brains busy with prioritising tasks, thinking of others and using their initiative.”
2. Let them play computer games
They may be the bane of parents’ lives, but computer games – especially ones with strong visual effects – can have positive effects on the brain. A study in Pediatrics in 2022 of nearly 2,000 children in the US found that those who played video games for three hours a day or more performed better on cognitive skills tests.
What’s more, in experiments by the neuroscientist Daphne Bavelier in 2011, students playing shooting games – such as Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto – were found to have quicker reaction times, better peripheral vision and a stronger attention span than students playing gentler games such as Tetris or The Sims.
Remember, though, that excessive gaming has been linked with obesity, carpel tunnel syndrome and mental health problems – most experts agree 30 to 60 minutes a day should be the maximum for young brains.
3. Try running
Going for a jog is often seen as an adult activity, but children benefit hugely from running.
A study at Nottingham Trent University in 2021 found that students who ran the ‘Daily Mile’ – whereby they jog a lap of the playground at their own pace – improved memory and flexible thinking, completing a series of mental tasks up to 10 per cent faster than those who did not run.
“It also helps with motor skills and co-ordination,” says Jo Hemmings. “It can reduce stress and anxiety and increase serotonin, our mood-boosting hormone. They are also likely to have a better quality of sleep after being outside.”
4. Encourage boredom
Don’t feel guilty the next time your child tells you they’re bored. Clinical psychologist Stephanie Lee says it’s good for them. “Life requires us to manage our frustrations and regulate our emotions when things aren’t going our way, and boredom is a great way to teach that skill,” she explains.
It’s not the boredom itself that helps their brains; it’s what they do with it. Being bored encourages children to make plans, solve problems and develop their organisational skills. It also fosters creativity and independence, helping them to take charge of their own happiness.
5. Let them draw – but make it big
Drawing and painting is good for brain development, but it’s even better if done on a bigger canvas. According to Professor Joan Freeman, author of Gifted Lives, the larger the canvas, the more it develops the creative side of the brain.
So switch that A4 page for a roll of wallpaper or old tablecloth – and see where their imagination takes them.
“Just go with it – start with a circle or an abstract shape, and let them see what they can create in 20 minutes,” says Ms Costa. “The bigger the page, the more expressive they can be.”
6. Build something together
Construction play – whether it’s Lego, Meccano or building dens from sofa cushions – boosts children’s fine motor control, problem-solving abilities and maths skills.
A paper by the Lego Foundation in 2017 found clear links between construction and brain processes such as reward, memory and stress regulation, preparing a child’s brain for development into adulthood.
Amy Shelton, a cognitive psychologist and director of research at The Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth, says: “When kids are building with blocks, they’re using spatial reasoning skills.”
Even better, says Natalie Costa, if they can build something real – such as flatpack furniture, a chicken coop or a bird feeder – which gives a sense of purpose and satisfaction.
7. Primary age children need at least nine hours sleep a night
Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for growing brains. A 2021 British study of more than 5,500 children found that unhealthy sleep in early adolescents affects their attention span, memories and emotional processing.
Scientists have found the same applies to primary-school age children who get less than the recommended nine to 12 hours’ sleep a night, exhibiting less grey matter in key areas of the brain than those who get more shut-eye.
8. Seek nature whenever possible
Studies have shown that getting outdoors, and especially exposing your little ones to green spaces, enhances brain power by improving concentration levels and problem-solving skills.
Exploring the natural world boosts their natural curiosity from a young age, says Natalie Costa, a children’s confidence expert and family coach.
“Something as simple as going on a colour scavenger hunt or drawing things they find in nature can really boost their brain activity,” she explains. “There are so many details, textures, sights and sounds – and they can do this whether they’re in an urban environment or the countryside.”
9. Do drama lessons
Dressing up might sound like a bit of fun, but studies have shown vital benefits for the brain – especially if you enrol your child in drama classes.
Pretending to step into someone else’s shoes encourages creative thinking, communication skills and problem-solving, as well as helping young children to strengthen neural pathways that connect vital pieces of information.
“Whether your child wants to be an actor or not, drama lessons offer a wealth of important social and life skills, from confidence and self-esteem to verbal skills and collaborative team work,” explains behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings.
“It encourages creative thinking, emotional thinking and regulation, as well as memory, verbal and non-verbal skills, resilience and other cognitive skills.”
10. Cook eggs for breakfast
A 2021 US study linked breakfast habits at age six with cognitive ability aged 12, showing that children who ate a nutritious breakfast had a higher IQ and better academic ability.
Whether scrambled, boiled or fried, eggs contain choline, a micronutrient used to create acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood and memory, as well as B vitamins, which boost brain health.
11. Push ‘gender-opposite’ toys
Boys’ and girls’ brains are wired differently in infancy, with boys typically better at spatial awareness and girls better at language skills.
“Your brain is what you do with it,” says the neuroscientist Lise Eliot, author of Pink Brain, Blue Brain. “So if your son spends all day building robots out of Lego, the parts of his brain responsible for spatial skills will work brilliantly.”
To narrow the gap as they grow up and keep young brains on an even keel, experts recommend encouraging ‘gender-opposite’ play: more rough-and-tumble and ball games for girls; more role-play, drawing and books for boys.
12. Teach them chess
Several studies link chess with higher IQs and better maths qualifications – although there is some debate over whether chess makes you clever or whether clever people choose chess.
Research has shown that chess-playing children aged seven to nine have better critical-thinking and enhanced visualisation skills. Indeed, the game is compulsory for children in Armenia, India, Georgia and some parts of China.
A recent paper from parents’ perspectives found that mums and dads reckon it improves children’s cognitive abilities, character and competitive spirit. Checkmate.
13. Dance together
Nimble feet make a nimble brain, say the experts. Whether you’re burning up the floor in a ballroom or wiggling around the kitchen table, encouraging your child to dance – and dancing with them – can work wonders for their minds.
According to research by the late Dr Michael Mosley, dancing can trigger new connections in the brain and encourage neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to change.
In one study involving healthy volunteers, just one session of a half-hour salsa class was shown to boost participants’ spatial working memory by almost a fifth.
14. Meditate
It’s not easy getting children to sit still, even for a few minutes, but if you can build meditation or mindfulness into their day, do it.
Studies have shown that meditation contributes directly to the cognitive function of children’s brains, with one research project showing improvements in behaviour, memory, planning, organisation and initiative.
Child-friendly meditation exercises include deep breathing, counting breaths or picking out particular sounds (such as birdsong) in a busy environment.
15. Feed them tofu and edamame beans
According to new research, eating foods high in soy – such as tofu, edamame beans and soya milk – can help children think and focus better.
This is because they contain isoflavones, naturally-occurring plant compounds that enhance attention and processing speed in school-age children.
“Soy foods are often not a regular part of children’s diets,” says lead researcher Ajla Bristina of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Our study adds evidence of the importance of nutrients found in soy foods for childhood cognition.”
16. Sign them up for piano
Learning a musical instrument is great for instilling discipline, but neuromusical research has found that some are better than others for young brains.
Research published in 2020 showed that children who learn a harmony instrument, such as piano, organ or guitar, perform better on cognitive tests than those who learn a melody or rhythm one.
Or why not buy them a drum kit? Drummers have been found to have thicker fibres connecting the front half of their brain’s hemispheres, which promotes cognitive flexibility and adaptability.
17. Ask open-ended questions
Stretch little ones’ brains by asking open-ended questions – the sort that start with “How”, “Why” or “What if” – rather than ones with a yes or no answer.
Not only does it spark longer conversations, but it gets their brains working harder and, instead of there being a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer, encourages independent thinking and language skills.
Montessori research has found that open-ended questions activate the whole brain as it reflects on an answer, making new and important neural connections.
18. Embrace messy mealtimes
If your child is a messy eater, fear not. In fact, experts say we should be encouraging them to make a mess at mealtimes rather than clearing their plate.
A study at the University of Iowa found that playing with food – poking it, squishing it, even throwing it – helps them to learn (and makes it less likely they’ll be a fussy eater in later life).
Of course, this applies more to toddlers than teenagers, but the science is the same no matter their age: strict rules stop children from exploring and embracing new foods, flavours and textures.
19. Recruit a sous chef
Even if you don’t have a Bake Off star in your midst, getting children into the kitchen is a powerful tool for improving their brain power.
Cooking helps them to learn essential skills for school – including counting, measuring, reading and following instructions – as well as fine motor skills (from holding utensils), building creativity and understanding basic scientific reactions.
“It’s brilliant for developing sequencing skills,” explains Sally Goddard Blythe, author of The Genius of Natural Childhood.
20. Enrol them in karate
A 2021 study of boys aged 14 to 17 found that martial arts boosted cognitive functions, especially inhibition, self-control and mental processing.
Another study, of the Korean martial art taekwondo among primary school-aged children, showed that boys who had practised for three months did better in mental maths tests, showed higher willpower and were better-behaved in class.
Memory and attention span have also been linked to martial arts training.
21. Read books… in French
Reading in early childhood leads to better test scores, improved mental health and – in one 2023 study – a larger cortical surface area in the brain regions related to cognition.
But if you really want to boost your child’s IQ, do it in another language.
Learning a language from a young age can actually increase the grey matter in the brain, with bilingual children shown to have an increased capacity for working memory – which is, in turn, linked with better grades and social skills.