Fall Activities for the Brain and Body

Anytime you combine physical activity with cognitive stimulation, your brain may reap just as many benefits as your body does. Even light or moderate exercise, such as walking, vacuuming, or making the bed, requires your body and brain to increase the amount of oxygen you normally use when sitting in a chair and watching television.

Fall brings cooler, less humid air that is magically energizing and invigorating. It's also a great time to get outdoors, have fun, and give your body the pre-winter boost it needs!

Corn Hole Toss

Get family and friends together in your backyard and have an old-fashioned corn hole toss tournament with nice prices for the winners and joke prizes for the losers. The ability to throw a small bag of dried corn over several feet so that it lands through the hole takes a lot of hand-eye-brain coordination but also a little luck!

Carving Pumpkins

Consider the many different types of pumpkin face patterns you can carve and pick one that you think you can master.

Enter a Corn Maze--At Your Own Risk!

Navigating the twists, turns, and dead ends of a corn maze stimulates the brain, requiring decision-making and planning. Complete a corn maze once and then re-enter the maze to see if you find the exit faster the second time.

Plant Bulb Flowers

Create colorful patterns in your front yard by planting spring-blooming tulips, daffodils, and irises about four to five weeks before the first frost is expected in your locale. Learning about bulb flowers, how to plant them, and when you can expect them to bloom next spring is a cognitive exercise that complements the physical aspect of flower gardening.

Visit a Park

Buy a sketchpad and a drawing pencil and walk to the nearest park to try your hand at drawing fall trees. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is to draw something when you are actually viewing the subject of your drawing. Cultivating your creative side (and, yes, everybody has one!) is an excellent activity for supporting cognitive function.