Prepare Kids for Back to School 2010 with Mind-Sharpening Brain Games

Take several weeks of summer break and add a dash of reminders about back to school and you will have an unhappy child with shrill shrieks of protest. With Back to School shopping well under way, many parents have already begun the task of getting their kids ready for the first day of class.

But how can you prepare your child mentally without suffering from your own melt down?

Three months away from an educational routine can quickly make a sharp, young mind dull and sluggish.  Not a good situation for academic success!  Recently Sarah posted about using brain games to help prevent Alzheimer's and the same concepts can be used to jump-start your child's mind just in time for back to school.

Here are some fun and subtle ways to bounce back from summer's brain drain with free, online games:

Grades K-6 AOL Games

• Fun Wordz - Create as many words to earn points, within two minutes.
• Minyanland Money Sorter - Match the coins by clicking the correct slot to drop them in.
• Where Did You Get That Money - Match the currency to the correct country.

Grades 6-12, Playfish  (via Facebook, adults will need to sign-up to access)

• Geo Challenge  - Test geography knowledge through a series of timed visual challenges (country recognition, flags and cities of the world).
  
• Word Challenge - Create as many words from the random six letters generated each round.
  
• Who Has The Biggest Brain - Attain the highest score in each category (visual, calculation, memory and logic) to increase your rank.
  

Young and Older Adults, AARP

• Sudoku, from easy to difficult, an addictive logic game. The objective is to correctly solve the 9x9 numbers grid.
• Word Search
  
• Crossword Puzzles

In addition, transitioning from late morning, summer bliss to early wake-ups can be a bit of a shock to your youngster's system. Try these tips to make it smoother:

Prepare ahead of time

Have your child select their clothes a day or two ahead and familiarize them with the location of their classroom and items in their backpack. Plus, turn off video games an hour before bedtime to help them get a more restful sleep.

Discuss feelings and emotions

First day jitters can be felt by kids of all ages. Let them express their feelings while listening and being supportive.

Routine and schedules

Plan out and reacquaint them with the schedules for the day and week. Car pooling with a school friend can help expedite their adjustment.

Nintendo DS educational games can be a great portable option but until Mario becomes your child's teacher, back to school will always be the words they least want to hear!