Reading is one of the main ways to improve intellectually and gain knowledge. Rather than spending free time watching television, read a newspaper, magazine or book instead. Reading for pleasure stimulates creativity and improves vocabulary and grammar. Reading educational sources informs you about history and can keep you up-to-date on current affairs.
Learn something new every day. Keep an open mind about new ideas and opinions. Seek stimulating conversation with those around you. Attend conferences, seminars, workshops and classes with the goal of learning something worthwhile.
Play strategy and word games. Puzzles, chess, checkers, word jumbles and other similar games enhance verbal skills and improve concentration and reasoning. Games increase your ability to think and react quickly and improve your logic skills.
Develop an appreciation for art. Visit museums, art exhibits and try your hand at drawing, painting or sculpting. Attend concerts, musicals and recitals. Learning to play a musical instrument develops the area of the brain that processes language. Music also improves your ability to visualize things and form mental pictures. Exposing yourself to the arts will improve your problem-solving and critical thinking. You will become better at abstract thinking and perform better on tests.
Exercise and play sports. Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, improving concentration, reflexes and reasoning. Research has shown that active children perform better in school.
Eat healthy foods and maintain a balanced diet. Adequate supplies of vitamins and minerals in your diet greatly affect mental capacity. Earl Mindell's research singled out fish as particularly beneficial to brain development because its content of docosahexaenoic acid, a fatty acid found in the brain. Foods that contain additives and preservatives can negatively affect brain performance, according to Maurice Hansen, author of "E for Additives."