Everyone knows that it is hard to find good things that are truly free. To find something that is free and could make you smarter at the same time, well, that’s a real trick. But don’t give up - there are a few websites out there that provide free mind games. Actual experts, who want to help boost your IQ and make you smarter, have designed these games. The science magazine Discover has a great site with three free brain building mini games.

The site behind these games is lumosity.com.  It claims to give your brain a workout in just 10 minutes a day.  However, the website also is quick to point out that our brains slow down as we grow older, the process that can start as early as the tender age of 30.

You can try three sample games that are really challenging.  One is Moneycomb, which forces players to remember where differently valued coins are placed on a grid game.  At the lower levels, it’s fairly easy. However, if you want a high score, this memory game becomes very demanding.

The second free game is called Speed Match and it is quite fun. In some ways the game couldn’t be any simpler: You watch different objects as they appear on the screen, and then answer one simple “yes” or “no” question. That question and the core of the game is this:- “is this object the same as the last one?” You are judged on accuracy and speed.  With some practice, it is possible to build up both.

The last game is Word Bubbles. It gives you three random letters and then awards points for the number of words you can spell in an allotted time using these letters. The concept behind these games is that of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself based on new experiences, bolstering the process of learning, memory, and adaptation of newly acquired knowledge.

At Lumosity.com, there are many other brain training games that are available for a nominal subscription of $6 per month. The additional categories include: attention, focus, language, visual perception, fluid intelligence, stress, reaction time, spatial reasoning, problem solving and “general health.” If the three free trial games that cover the categories of language, processing speed, and memory are any indication, then Lumosity might be worth playing – at any age.

During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama has been advocating increasing  art education. He  noted that children who are encouraged to study art in school perform at an overall higher academic level. “In addition to giving our children the science and math skills they need to compete in the new  global context, we should also encourage the ability to think creatively that comes from a meaningful arts education,” he said. “Unfortunately, many school districts are cutting instructional time for art and music education.”

Watch video link of Obama discussing arts education at a town meeting on April 2, 2008

Numerous extensive tests in recent decades have clearly shown that children who study arts when they are young become not only more creative and intelligent later in life, but they also have higher IQs.

In fact, a person’s creative ability is often a core component used in measuring IQ.  President Obama is advocating the creation of an “Artist Corps” that is sent into low-income schools to promote arts curriculum and education.

The President has pointed out that such programs require very little financial backing and will undoubtedly yield major long-term benefits. The relatively low cost of arts education is a major selling point and bodes well that these types of programs will be implemented, despite the current economic conditions.