Do you remember the book review on Your Fantastic Elastic Brain? (Check it out here if you missed it.) One of the big take-aways from that book is that our brains are, as the title implies, like elastic. So what better way to demonstrate this idea than with rubber bands?

Teach kids that our brains are like a rubber band. The more we practice, the more it can stretch and grow. We like to grab a handful of rubber bands in a variety of sizes. We explain to the child that some parts of our brain are bigger and more developed. Maybe we’re really good at reading, so the biggest rubber band might be the reading part of our brain. And other parts are smaller and need more work. Maybe we aren’t good at playing piano. But if we continue to practice, we can stretch that piano rubber band! By working on what is challenging, we help grow our brains.