At a young age, most mom and dads would do all they can to build up and improve their children's intelligence and aptitude in any possible way they can. Apart from this is the goal that one day their child will go up the stage to pick up the medal of being valedictorian as the proud parents look on. And so some parents provide their children chapters and chapters of encyclopedia, dictionaries, history and science books to read and learn from.

However, kids will always be kids and constant studying will definitely make them dull. And good parents would not want that for their children. So there should be a balance of work and play. But who says play cannot be a learning experience too. Here are some of the more popular games that parents play with their children to not only please and entertain but sharpen up those smarts as well.

* Puzzles. Let us start with the easiest, puzzles. This game is greatly favored as it can be played by young children even though they do not know how to read and write yet. The game entails placing together a bunch of pieces to make and form a picture. The objective is to identify each part and sum up the whole in the least amount of time possible. Sounds uncomplicated and easy enough, doesn't it?

Then again, if the puzzle is made up of a hundred small pieces then you can bet it would take some time for it to get into form. With puzzles, some pieces may very well look very much alike so there's the challenge. Playing with puzzles is also a great moment for parents to bond with their children. Moms and dads can spend quality time with their sons and daughters while learning together the skills of puzzle formations.

* Scrabble. As soon as your kid gets to know his ABCs pretty well and has a good grasp of vocabulary and spelling, you can start introducing him to the fun and smart world of scrabble games. In scrabble, one is given a few pieces to work with; pieces which have letters engraved in them and which is worth a corresponding number of points. The aim of the game of scrabble is to form correctly spelled words on the board while earning points doing it. The one with the highest point wins. If you had not figured out already, scrabble strengthens your child's vocabulary and terminologies. You never know he may grow up to be quite a writer someday.

* Chess. A game that even adults love to play. And what is not to love? The game involves strategy, cleverness and quick thinking to move their pieces across the board and win against the other party. And with the game of chess, it is usually best to start them young as smart minds get fully developed when they are polished and cultivated at an early age. Winning a game of chess says a lot about the wit of a person and it is one wit that any parent can be surely proud of.