By Jasmin Jenkins

Editor-In-Chief

Once summer rolls around many students don’t normally think about school or gathering some sort of education. Our brains thrive on education. If you educate yourself, you’re basically exercising your brain.

Keeping your brain active is super important. Yeah, sure, getting out of school and going back to learning something again is slightly annoying, it doesn’t have to be. There are many ways to keep your brain pumping such as playing word games.

In 2018 Ashford University wrote an article about 12 activities to keep your mind sharp. Playing word games was number two on the list. Playing a simple crossword game or scrabble can strengthen your critical thought and use of strategy. Most of these games could be found by just going into your app store, and the best part about it is it’s free. One of my favorite games to play is called Battle Text. Battle text is word game that allows you to challenge your friends or even play against the computer. You can play through story mode and go up against the 9-word champs in the game. Playing Battle Text with friends often I forgot it was helping my brain stay active, but  it’s also a competition of being top dog.

Another activity you can do is read a book. That one may seem obvious and dreadful, but once you find that book that gets you hooked it’s hard to come back. Words are the food of the brain. Reading is one of the most important skills to not lose. If you’re not a big reader you can have fun with this like joining a book club. Going to your local library and talking to your librarian about different genres to help you find your perfect read.

Moving into the relationship side of your brain, you can also keep it active by coming out of your shell. Go out and embrace a new friend group. Having interactions with other people can also help your brain break out. You get to learn about new things alongside them.

Last one is recording your thoughts. Recording your thoughts in a journal can not only be calming but helpful. This helps form complex thoughts. Also helps get in touch with your emotional side of your brain.

In the end keeping your brain active is something you can do to be ready for school next year. All in all, it wouldn’t hurt to be more prepared for the next upcoming school year if need be. Our minds are important, and we should want to take care of them.