Brain Busters

I have often scrolled and flicked through books designed to offer brain training for kids. Some seem great, some too boring and others lack both colour and attraction. Children need stimulation, and in a world full of technology, they need something different with a 'wow' factor to pry them away from their gadgets....and that is where the 'Mensa Kids Brain Busters' book seems to have the answer! 

I must admit, noting that this book is by 'Mensa' - the high IQ society, was already a hit! Who better to facilitate brain training, encourage logic and problem solving?! 

'This book is packed with questions, tasks and puzzles to test your thinking skills and mental abilities. To solve them you'll need the ability to think logically, plus some staying power when the problems get tough.' I love this excerpt from the book itself. Not only does it give a wonderful summary of what the book is all about but I like the encouragement about working it out even if it takes time. Not all problems can be solved in minutes, and this is an important lesson children need to appreciate - giving up shouldn't be the answer! 

'Brain Busters!' has 128 pages with over 240 puzzles (wow!). The book is broken down, from easy to difficult (3 levels), as children progress and get better the puzzles get more difficult. 

The book is compiled of number, logic and word problems, and answers are included in the back. 

What we think?

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, and little person's initial reaction has been of sheer amazement! A quick flick and he's found the book a great addition to his 'time pass' activities. 

There are lots of varying problems, and some are very useful at the moment as they definitely help revise maths work we've covered, such as Roman numerals, using multiplication to solve problems, sequences and so on. 

Logic and word problems are a new thing for us, and I do feel these are very well written. The 'new' problems have really got little persons brain working, and enabling him to understand, and even look at problems from a different angle. 

As an adult working through the book will enable you to appreciate the type of logic required to solve problems, and appreciate how this will help children. It is almost like tapping into a part of the brain that quite possibly hasn't been used! 

We definitely feel this is the only brain teaser book you should try first (and then you'll quite possibly find most others super easy anyway!!). 

We also love the design, colour and layout. A lot of brain buster books are black and white, with pages full of problems. Those don't work for us, but the addition of clearly spaced questions, colour, illustrations and the easy to handle book makes this so much better for us! The fact that it is landscape does make it easy to use by little person, and different compared to the others we have. 

As a sneak peak, here are a few inside photos to see for yourself! Don't forget to let us know what you think once you've tried the book too...