4 Games to Increase Processing Speed
This is the first post in a new series called Games for the Brain. Some of the games you have at home might secretly be working on processing skills. Today, we are going to highlight games that improve processing speed.
But what is processing speed? And why is it important?
Processing speed is your ability to take in information, understand it and respond to it. The information can be visual or auditory. It can be seeing letters to read a word. It can be hearing directions to get ready for school.
Processing speed is key to all aspects of learning. From reading to mathematics to executive function skills, processing speed plays a big role.
Processing speed is what helps us to do practiced activities automatically. Over time we can improve our reading speed, for example, as our processing speed for reading increases.
Low processing speed is not related to intelligence. It is simply the speed at which we process information.
Slower processing speed can make things challenging, though. It might be difficult for students to finish all their homework before bed. Taking notes in class could be a nightmare. It might be challenging for them to follow multi-step instructions.
Processing speed can also make other disorders like ADHD and dyslexia more frustrating. If a child has a low processing speed and can’t remember what the letters say, reading will be a tough activity.
Let’s introduce you to some games you can play that will secretly improve processing speed:
Bop It!™
Bop It!™ is a fast-paced physical game that asks you to do various actions as the game calls out directions. You try to get the highest number of sequential actions to be the high-score player. As you continue to play, Bop It!™ speeds up, giving you less time to think about the action you must do.
The newest version is more interactive than ever. You use your full body while playing Bop It!™. Not only do you bop it, twist it and pull it – as the game has always offered – you now can golf it, selfie it and much more. This requires you to process more information to play the game.
As you improve and increase your high score, Bop It!™ picks up the pace. This tests your processing speed. How quickly can you twist it after Bop It!™ asks you to? Do you remember what to do when you hear “comb it?”
You can also play on Beat Box mode where Bop It!™ gives you sounds instead of verbal directions. You must remember which sound cues which action. Your processing speed is challenged yet again, demanding you to remember what the sound means and what to do for that direction.
Hyperslide™
Hyperslide™ is a fast-paced game that challenges you to slide hyper discs through a goal. It is a bit like air hockey without the air but can be played solo. You have four, colored hyper discs. The goal will call out which colored disc to pass under its arch. The more correct passes you make, the higher your score.
In Fast Pass mode, you pass the hyper discs under the goal as fast as possible. You want to beat your high score, so make sure you pass the right color!
Hyperslide™ challenges you to process the verbal command, choose the correct hyper disc and pass it under the goal as quickly as possible. With solo play, the discs bounce back, so watch out for flying discs.
Blink™
Blink™ is a fast-paced, matching card game. The deck is split between the players. You must match your cards with the top card of the play deck. You match cards by shape, number or color. The first player to play all their cards wins.
No taking turns here. Each player hurries to put down as many cards as they can. The player with the faster processing speed will have the advantage with Blink™. How fast can you look at the top card, your own cards, find a match and play your card? It sounds simple, but it’s crazy fun.
Blink™ challenges your processing speed by asking you to take in the visual information of the cards, process any matches, and play the correct cards. How quickly can you play a game of Blink™?
Spot It!™
Spot It!™ is a fast-paced, matching card game with lots of visual interest. With dozens of variants including Numbers and Letters, Basic Spanish and NHL, you can find a version of Spot It!™ for your family to love.
Spot It!™ challenges you to, well… spot it! Each card has various symbols, pictures or words on it. Some are easier to spot than others. Every card will have at least one matching picture with every other card.
There are many ways to play Spot It!™. At Pathfinders, each player starts with one card in front of them and the rest in the middle of the table. The top deck card is revealed. The players try to find a picture on their card that matches the deck card. Whoever spots it first wins that deck card. This becomes the new card they are going to match to the new deck card. After all the deck cards have been claimed, the player with the most cards wins.
Another way to play is to put two cards face up in front of the players. The first player to spot the matching symbol wins those two cards. Play through the entire deck. The player with the most cards wins.
Spot It!™ requires you to process the visual information on the cards, find a match and call it out as quickly as possible. Over time, you will get faster at spotting those matching pictures, improving your processing speed.
Let us know if you have any other games that improve processing speed. We hope this has given you some ideas for a family game night. Check back for more posts in Games for the Brain, where we’ll suggest games to improve vision skills, logic and reasoning, fine motor skills and more.
Resources
- https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/information-processing-issues/processing-speed-what-you-need-to-know
- https://www.cognifit.com/science/cognitive-skills/processing-speed