Much like the rest of your body, your brain needs frequent exercise to stay in good shape. One of the best ways to improve your brain health for quicker, more logical thinking and lower stress levels is also a great entertainment source: playing games!

You can dust off your favorite board games from back in the day, and if you’re feeling motivated to challenge your brain even more, why not try learning an all-new game?

Here are a few categories of games that provide an instant cure for boredom while also helping to keep your brain in tip-top shape.

Board Games

Many board games involve strategic thinking that gets your brain muscles moving. While you can never go wrong with classics like Chess and Checkers, the number of board games on the market keeps growing. Therefore, you have plenty of options to choose from based on your interests, fine motor skills, and difficulty level you’re comfortable with.

Board games to try: Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Hive, Qwirkle, Carcassonne

Card Games

Card games provide all the fun of board games without the small parts or setup process. If you have a competitive streak, consider holding casino nights with friends or family where you enjoy games like Poker, Crazy Eights, or Gin Rummy and place bets like, “Loser has to clean up,” or “Loser has to do a silly dance.” And if you’re looking for some alone time, you can never go wrong with Solitaire.

Card games to try: Phase 10, Apples to Apples, Anomia, Skip-Bo, Sushi-Go!

Number Games

If you’re hooked on Sudoku, you’ll be happy to know that you can find lots of activity books full of similar number-based puzzles. Games like these are great for the brain because they test your problem-solving skills and give you a healthy sense of accomplishment when you’ve finished them.

Number games to try: Kakuro, Hitori, Kenken

Word Games

Much like number games, word games like crosswords, word searches, and jumbles require you to compete against yourself, so you can take pride in your accomplishments once you’re done. Of course, if you’re looking for games you can play with other people, there’s also no shortage of competitive multiplayer word games like Scrabble and Boggle. What all of these games have in common is they help you keep your vocabulary, spelling, and grammar sharp.

Word games to try: Bananagrams, Codenames, Taboo, Scattergories

Online Games

Whatever types of games you enjoy, you can almost definitely find a way to play them from the comfort of your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Not only do you get to experience all the brain health benefits listed above, but you also get some practice at becoming more tech-savvy. Check out the MyHealthAngel Brain Games webpage today to play some all-time favorites!

Online games to try: Matching Game, Mahjong, Solitaire, Word Search, Jigsaw Puzzles