5 Characteristics of Good Cognitive Worksheets
There are a ton of sites saying they have free cognitive worksheets. Do they boast how their sheets are superior but are they really? With so many kinds of activities out there, it is difficult to find the best ones to use with your clients. We want to make sure you understand what makes a free cognitive worksheet “the best”.
Here are 5 characteristics of good cognitive worksheets that you can look for to help you decide on which materials to use.
1. Diversity of Exercises
Doing the same activity is boring. It also increases the risk of patients disengaging in therapy. Having a variety of activities that target a similar cognitive function gives patients different opportunities to practice one or more skills. The goal of having multiple exercises that target a specific cognitive domain to choose from is to be able to build the skill and to be able to generalize the strategy learned in one exercise to another.
2. Exercises MUST Connect with one Another
The flow of exercises is as important as diversity. By practicing a skill that continues to build throughout a cognitive worksheet allows patients to strengthen the packet’s focused skill. Patients may learn the basics of a skill in one exercise and then build upon that skill in another exercise that requires mastery of the foundation of the skill in the exercise prior.
3. Exercises Should Translate to Everyday Life
Do the exercises on the worksheet simulate real-world situations? As much as possible, exercises should mimic life situations. Each worksheet should have something that the patient may encounter in everyday life. This way they can understand the importance of practicing these skills and help a patient learn how to generalize these skills.
4. Adequately Challenge the User
Worksheets should not be too easy or too difficult for the person you are work with. Exercises should be challenging in order to foster learning. However, you do not want your patients to attempt something too difficult else they may disengage. Look for cognitive therapy worksheets that offer a variety of similar exercises at different levels.
5. Adaptable for a Variety of Populations
Don’t just look for worksheets that are targeted for your population. Having material that you can use with a variety of patient populations adds more ammunition to your therapeutic toolkit. For example, you do not have to just use geriatric focused cognitive worksheets for your elderly patients. Sometimes mixing it up, using a child-focused one, will bring a smile to their face as they think about their childhood or their children.
Searching for free cognitive therapy worksheets can be extremely time consuming and unfruitful. It is hard to find a diversity of exercises that no only flows with one another, translate to everyday life and is still challenges your patient. HappyNeuron Pro offers free worksheets for every domain of cognitive function. Every month we release new targeted cognitive worksheets. With our free worksheets, you can download and print them to use alongside clients in a session or for your patients to take home.
