Keeping your mind & body healthy during finals

The end of the school year is fast approaching and kids everywhere are just itching to break free from the classroom and embark on their summer vacation. But before the backpack and books can be shoved in the closet in favor of beach bags and flip-flops, the dreaded finals and end of the year tests must first be completed.

Having to concentrate on studying gets harder and harder as spring becomes more and more like summer, but there are some things you can do to make sure your mind and body are ready when the teacher passes out that final exam.

Read Full Post »

Dizios: Families Love it, Experts Recommend it!

Our best-selling, brain-bending domino game has caught the attention of childhood development experts, toy reviewers and certified geniuses – not to mention parents and kids!

We’re excited to announce that just nine months since its debut, Dizios has already won three prestigious awards and was recognized by Disney Family Fun Magazine as one of the best family board games.

For more on the game, check out the video below. And if you’d like to add Dizios to your game collection, follow this link!

Read Full Post »

Tin Can Robot

Looking for a fun, “green” toy? Check out MindWare’s Tin Can Robot! (Don’t forget, Earth Day is April 22!)

Read Full Post »

Mind Games

We’ve all heard how games that require concentration, problem-solving and reasoning skills are essential to young developing minds. But what are the benefits of these games to adult players? A recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune suggests that games requiring you to flex your “mental muscle” are just as beneficial to adults as they are to kids:

Baby boomers, whose parents are beset by Alzheimer’s disease in particular and brain erosion in general, are avidly seeking ways to keep their own minds from faltering. Hello, Sudoku.

The good news: There are plenty of puzzles, games, books and other activities that engage the brain. The bad news: Experts still aren’t sure how much they help.

Read Full Post »

Great Games for Children with Autism

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Children with autism generally have trouble with developmental skills that affect social interaction, communication, movement or problem solving. But just like game play can promote learning and social skills in all children, game play can also improve the symptoms of autism in the following areas:

Cognitive: Games can assist memory, problem-solving, deduction and planning skills. Mastermind, Qwirkle, Memory and Clue and the computer version of Pictionary are examples of games that help cognitive skills.

Language: Many games can improve vocabulary skills. Classic examples of language skill games are Scrabble, Boggle and Bananagrams. The computer game Reader Rabbit and Baby BumbleBee videos also help increase vocabulary.

Read Full Post »

MindWare Toys is on YouTube!

MindWare Toys is now on YouTube! And we’re kicking things off with a great
presentation of the Custom Rides Design Studio, with your host Ethan (son of
a MindWare employee).

Keep your eyes peeled for more great toy and game demonstrations, helpful
hints, healthy living tips and much more on YouTube.com/MindWareToys

Read Full Post »

Feed Your Mind and Your Body

You are what you eat, so it makes sense to eat smart. Below is a list of widely-recognized good foods for a growing brain. Which one is your kids’ favorite?

*Poll results taken from a hubpages.com article, “Top Ten Brain Foods for your Kids”

Read Full Post »

Promoting Eye Health

An amazingly blue sky.  My child’s smile.  A cardinal zipping through the trees.  When I see these things, my day is brighter and I’m a happier person.  Even if I don’t think about it often, I’m deeply grateful that my eyes are healthy (albeit near sighted) and that my eyes allow me to do and experience things that improve my quality of life.

But as I get older, my eyes are inevitably aging as well.  What can I do to protect my eyesight?  According to researchers, certain foods may improve the health of your eyes and protect them from disease.

• Hop on the green tea bandwagon.  A recent study found that green tea may be good for your eyesight.  Researchers discovered that the powerful antioxidants found in green tea may help protect the retina.  Antioxidants are also thought to protect the eye from glaucoma and other eye diseases.

Read Full Post »

Healthy Foods Can Help Us Think

“Eat your broccoli; it’s brain food,” is a common theme my kids hear every time I serve them a dark green vegetable. I know that broccoli alone won’t make my kids smarter, but I call vegetables “protective food”— low in fat, high in vitamins and boosts blood flow to the brain.

Maintaining a healthy weight has many advantages, both intellectually and socially. Studies show that overweight children struggle more often through social situations and may feel more excluded and lonely than their skinnier counterparts.

And the best way to maintain a healthy weight is—yes, you guessed it—to eat healthy. But for our kids, this is harder than it sounds. Foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol have become mainstays in our diet. Along with a sedentary lifestyle, the future could look grim for our offspring.

Read Full Post »

Bringing the Spirit of the Olympics Home

The Olympics provide an amazing opportunity for family unity and shared pride in our Nation—they can also demonstrate great examples of sportsmanship for our children.

We’ve been taping the games, and watching faithfully almost every night.  Last night, we watched an Austrian competitor, who was favored to win gold ultimately lose to Bode Miller, an American, in the Men’s Downhill Ski.  With a simple mistake, the Austrian didn’t even qualify for a medal.  After the awards ceremony, despite his own disappointment, the first thing he did was to shake hands with his competitors.  This provided a great opportunity to point out to our kids his impressive display of good sportsmanship.

Read Full Post »