What a Kids Game Reveals About Motor Skills.

The very definition of "cabin fever" is being sequestered in vacation rental on a rainy day with preteen daughters who have exceeded their screen time limit.

Now what?

Out come the board (bored?) games. One of my daughters always requests to play "Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza." The rules are simple. As the title of the game implies, there are five categories of cards. The players call out the categories in order every time they flip a card over. When the actual card is the same as the category called out (e.g. the player says "taco" and flips over a card with a taco pic) the players immediately have to slam their hands down on the cards.

Furthermore, there are three categories that require extra motor skills and reaction times: if the card is a gorilla, they players have to beat their chests and slam their hands down. If it's a chipmunk, they pound the ground first, and if it's a "narwhal" they have to put their hands over their head mimicking a horn.

It's this last category that really trips me up. By the time my daughters (or their friends) have made their hand motions and slammed their hands down, I've done....nothing. I just stare blankly at the cards. I'm epically, cinematically slow. In the dozens of times I've played this game, when the three categories come up, I lose almost every time.

There are two main reasons for this. The first reason is that my brain was overwhelmed by too many choices. The second reason is a much bigger factor: I'm almost sixty.

There are two types of reaction time — simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time (CRT). The differences between the two can be seen in "TCGCP." When a players says the word "taco" and flips over the a card with the same image, all that my brain has to process is slamming my hand down on the card. But when a "narwhal" pops up, I have to do two things: remember what physical action accompanies the card (making the horns) and then slapping my hands down on the card. It's too much for my brain to process in such a short amount of time.

General reaction time peaks in young adulthood and then gradually declines, slowing by 15% to 30% in older people. Breaking those numbers down even further, SRT times increase by 20 to 40 milliseconds between the ages of 20 and 65, while CRT changes are more dramatic, with increases of 90 to 120 milliseconds over the same age range.

Those statistics are why the average video game player turns pro between the ages 16 and 18, and retire before the age of 25. It's also why I lose almost every game of TCGCP to my twin daughters. So, short of suggesting playing "Jeopardy" instead, is there any hope of leveling the playing field?

Well, first the bad news: my girls are going to continue to kick my butt for a long, long time. The good news is that I might be able to eke out some victories here and there.

I already engage in one of the best antidotes to aging: I work out every day. Several studies (Bauermeister, Hillman, Baylor/Spirduso, Sherwood) have shown that regular exercise — and cardiovascular exercise in particular — have positive impact on reaction times in elderly people. But if all I needed to do was cycle in order to triumph over my daughters, I'd be all set. Sadly, although cycling does have its cognitive benefits (I have to be hyper vigilant when I'm on a bike), it doesn't impact my reaction times as much as exercises targeted for that very purpose. Here are a few of them. Bonus: some of them are actually fun!

#1 The ruler "drop-and-catch."

Hold a ruler upright at the top with the numbers in descending order. Release it and then catch it as fast as you can. The lower your number is, the better your reaction time is. It's fun to chart your progress on this one.

#2 Tennis ball wall catch.

This one is exactly as it sounds. You need a tennis ball and a wall. Toss the ball against the wall 20-30 times and catch it before it hits the ground. Try to vary the trajectory of the ball by tossing it at various angles.

Make it harder #1: Balance on one foot while catching the ball. This is a fantastic exercise for balance. I use this with my clients. When you're advanced enough, try for 20 times and increase in increments of ten.

Make it harder #2: Use a ball that doesn't have an even trajectory such as the "Funky Ball."

#3 The "Mary Mack" hand-clapping game.

This game has many incarnations. Surprise, surprise, kids can go at warp speed doing this game. My daughters are fun to watch while they do it. And then dad gets involved, and things slow down. Waaaaay down. Here's an explanatory video. Warning: the "cute factor" is high.

#4 "Dance Dance Revolution."

Not shockingly, my girls excel at this game as well. It's very cognitively challenging and great for your reaction times. Here's a really fun historical overview:

Addendum: the best way to measure progress? I finally won a game of TCGCP recently. I think I'm going to officially announce my retirement.