In early 2014, at the age of 14, I discovered Lumosity, a brain-training program to challenge your brain with fun games. It is available online and as an app for your cell. At the time, I was struggling to find something to help my brain following brain surgery at 11 years old. During my search, I kept seeing Lumosity come up as an option. After months of thought, I decided to try it out.
Thankfully, it did not ask me personal questions like email and home address, but questions like a doctor would ask during a check-up. That first time and even now, it asked questions like “What needs improving?” and “How are you feeling today?” along with “How many hours have you slept?”
When I finished all the questions the first time, it gave me a few games to try for my first workout. They were “Train of Thought,” “Ebb and Flow,” “Trouble Brewing,” “Pet Detective,” and “Color Match.”
Lumosity’s games are designed to improve cognitive skills such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. Many of their games are neuroscience-inspired. For example, the game “Lost in Migration” is inspired by the flanker test. The flanker test is a cognitive psychology test that makes you focus on one specific piece of information while ignoring the others that are distracting.
I like that whenever you finish a workout, it cheers you on and encourages you to continue with “High five!” “Nice workout!” and “Crushed it!” It will also say something like, “Now that’s how you train your brain,” or “Give your neurons a round of applause,” and “Your brain thanks you for showing up today. Consistency is key.”
After trying out their games, I ended up having some favorites over time, and I still play them every now and then. One favorite is “What’s My Name?” You have to remember people’s names you meet. Another one is “Skyrise,” where you put the numbers from smallest to the biggest, but the numbers will only pop up for a second.
One of the games I love playing is called “Contextual.” It is where you are tasked to find one or two words that do not belong in a sentence in a paragraph. The other one that I love playing is “Highway Hazards.” You are on a race track that has random things on the road that will slow you down. However, the game “Ebb and Flow” is one of their relaxing games. All you have to do is swipe where the orange leaves are going, but when they change to green, you must swipe to where they are pointing.
I have no regrets about discovering Lumosity and playing their games. In fact, so many of my cognitive abilities have improved over the years of doing the workouts. I even got a compliment from one of my doctors, and he said he would start suggesting Lumosity to all of his patients.
I highly recommend Lumosity to anyone who wants something not only to challenge their brain, but to enjoy unique, fun games. One of the great things about Lumosity is that every day you get a different set of games. I also recommend Lumosity to anyone who has disabilities such as Down Syndrome and level 3 autism because most, if not all, of their games are cognitive skills-focused.
If you decide to give Lumosity a chance, I hope you will see amazing progress through their workouts. I like to think that practice makes progress, not perfect, so do not rush yourself. Go at your own pace. It took me 12 years to see some improvements. As for parents, feel free to celebrate small milestones like memorizing most of the names, reaching the next level, or beating their previous score. I always share my progress and milestones with my family. I also hope you see the difference in your child’s cognitive skills too.
