Brain training games for kids:
what actually helps

The honest summary first

Brain training games for kids are not a category to either overhype or dismiss. The research literature is genuinely mixed, and the honest read of it tells you exactly when these games help and when they do not.

Working memory is one of the most consequential cognitive abilities in childhood. Alloway and Alloway (2010) tracked children for several years and found that working memory at age 5 predicted academic achievement at age 11 better than IQ did. Working memory is also more trainable in childhood than in adulthood, because younger brains are more plastic. Klingberg (2010) summarised a substantial body of evidence that focused practice on working memory tasks reliably improves working memory performance.

The catch, summarised by Simons et al. (2016) for Psychological Science in the Public Interest, is that the broader transfer is weaker. Practising a brain training game makes a child better at the game and at closely related tasks. The bigger claim that they become "smarter at school" or "better at thinking generally" has thin evidence at best. Brain training is one input into healthy cognitive development. It is not a magic intervention.

What different brain training games actually train

• Memory games. Train working memory and recognition memory. The most-studied category. Strongest evidence for narrow improvement, including some benefit for kids with ADHD (Klingberg et al., 2005). See the deeper guide at memory games for kids.
• Matching games. A subset of memory games. Train visual recognition memory specifically. Good entry-level practice, especially for younger children. See matching games for kids.
• Concentration and attention games. Spot-the-difference, Where's Wally, sustained-attention tasks, timed visual searches. Train the ability to hold focus on a single task. The transfer evidence here is more mixed; some studies find broader attention improvements, others do not.
• Speed-of-processing games. Fast-paced tasks requiring quick responses. Train the speed at which the brain takes in and processes visual information. The ACTIVE trial showed this approach is impactful for older adults (Edwards et al., 2017), but the evidence base in children is thinner.
• Logic and problem-solving games. Pattern recognition, puzzles, simple coding games. Build the slower deliberative thinking skills rather than pure memory or attention. Excellent supplements to school work.
• Pure educational apps (Khan Academy Kids, etc.). Not strictly brain training, but the same underlying cognitive skills get worked. For most children, a high-quality educational app does more for academic outcomes than a generic brain trainer.

What works at each age

• Ages 3 to 5. Physical puzzles, simple matching cards, sorting games, Where's Wally-style picture searches. Screen time should be limited and parent-supervised. Mobile apps add little value at this age and often distract from richer offline play.
• Ages 5 to 7. Slightly more advanced matching games, simple sequence games (Simon Says-style), spot-the-difference puzzles. Screen-based games start being viable if used moderately. Look for ad-free educational sites rather than ad-heavy mobile apps.
• Ages 7 to 10. The full range of brain training game formats becomes accessible. Picture memory games, sequence memory games, concentration challenges, simple logic puzzles. Mobile apps with progressing difficulty (like Blanked) start being genuinely useful as daily practice.
• Ages 10 to 13. Full brain training apps work well. Timed challenges, head-to-head competitions with friends, harder logic puzzles. This is the age where the daily habit can really stick if the format engages them.
• Teens (13+). Same options as adults; see the parallel guide on memory training for students for the homework-and-exams angle.

Free brain training and concentration games for kids

The free category is mixed but real. Some options worth knowing:

• BBC Bitesize (UK) has substantial age-grouped brain games and learning activities. Public broadcaster funding means no ads.
• Coolmath Games and ABCya have huge libraries of memory, logic, and concentration games organised by age. Some ads, mostly mild.
• PBS Kids Games (US) is great for under-7s. Character-themed brain games, ad-free.
• Khan Academy Kids is a curriculum-grade educational app with brain-game elements. Completely free, no ads, no in-app purchases. One of the highest-quality free educational apps available.
• Blanked is free on iOS for kids 7 and up, six modes (memory, sequence, snap match, counting, colour grid, speed recall). No paywall on gameplay. Rated 4+.

Apps to be cautious about: anything that requires personal information beyond an email, anything with aggressive in-app purchases that appear during normal play, anything labelled "brain training for kids" that bombards them with characters trying to upsell power-ups every two minutes. The good options are quieter than the loud ones.

Concentration games specifically

Parents often search for concentration games for kids because they have noticed their child struggles to sustain attention. The honest reality here: most children of school age have intermittent attention by design. Sustained focus develops slowly through childhood and into the teen years. A short concentration game will not change a child's baseline attention much, but it can provide useful practice and a calmer activity than open-ended screen time.

Good concentration practice involves three things: a clear objective (find the difference, spot the change, count the items), an appropriate time pressure (enough to require focus, not so much it becomes frustrating), and feedback (did you get it right). Physical activities like Where's Wally puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and spot-the-difference picture books do all three without any screen time. Digital versions (including Blanked's Snap Match and Counting Blitz modes) do the same plus automatic difficulty progression.

If you suspect your child's attention difficulties are clinically significant (ongoing, across settings, affecting learning or relationships), the right move is a conversation with a paediatrician or educational psychologist, not a brain training app.

Free brain training, ages 7 and up.

Six modes covering memory, attention, sequences, and pattern recognition. iOS, rated 4+, no paywall on gameplay.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

See also the specific guides for memory games for kids and matching games for kids. For ADHD families specifically, the adult guide on memory training for ADHD has relevant background. For older teens approaching exams, see memory training for students.

• Alloway & Alloway (2010), “Investigating the predictive roles of working memory and IQ in academic attainment”, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
• Klingberg et al. (2005), “Computerized Training of Working Memory in Children with ADHD”, JAACAP
• Klingberg (2010), “Training and plasticity of working memory”, Trends in Cognitive Sciences
• Cortese et al. (2015), “Cognitive training for ADHD: meta-analysis of clinical and neuropsychological outcomes”, JAACAP
• Edwards et al. (2017), “Speed of processing training results in lower risk of dementia”, ACTIVE Trial
• Simons et al. (2016), “Do Brain-Training Programs Work?”, Psychological Science in the Public Interest