Question for parents:

Kids play sports to have fun and stay physically fit. What can they do to keep their brains sharp and energized?

Answer: They can head straight to BrainPlay. Find it on page 39 of the September 2018 issue or download it here. You’ll recognize it when you see it: eleven carefully crafted, open-ended prompts designed challenge young readers, stimulate the imagination, and let creativity thrive.

And here’s the thing: because BrainPlay is not a test, not a measure of thinking skills, and not something kids can prep for, they are free to answer BrainPlay questions any way they’d like.

True, some topics are more challenging than others. For example, you might need some science under your belt to answer “What would life be like without gravity?” And you probably should have survived a spelling quiz or two to respond to “If you could invent a new way to give a test, how would it work?”

But BrainPlay also offers lots of questions for younger readers. Almost anyone can tackle these: “What pasta shape is your favorite?” and “What’s the kindest thing you’ve seen someone do today?”

OK, so that’s four down, seven to go.

Now give your kid a chance!