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Some small Java games you can download

"Light Bot is the puzzling gameversion of Lego Mindstorms, and a good introduction into the world of programming."

Light Bot is the puzzling gameversion of Lego Mindstorms, and a good introduction into the world of programming.

As the self-styled 'puzzle playground' Smart-Kit.com offers plenty of opportunities for your students to explore and flex their mental muscles. There are some great games here that really set it apart from the other sites on this list. For instance, the physics games are very good, the adventure games are taxing, and the quick thinking games really give students the opportunity to perform under pressure. There are even some IQ test questions here that can be used as problems of the day or extension work. Some of my favorite brain games on this site are Truck Loader, Trafficator, and the amazing Little Wheel. Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/106947.aspx#ixzz1EGaRJ6xx

"Learn English for free online with WordSpark! Fun activities for learning in the ESL classroom. Learn English with music, movies, art, reading, puzzles, cloze worksheets, labeled pictures from the day's news, and unique activities for ESL teachers. F"

As it says, some useful activities

a 2D physics puzzle / sandbox game, in which you get to experience what it would be like if your drawings would be magically transformed into real physical objects. Solve puzzles with your artistic vision and creative use of physics.

Despite its name, not all the content on CoolMath.com is directly related to Math. In fact, their tag line is 'Math and Thinking games'. The Cool Math games site, (www.coolmath-games.com), has many great online games for gifted children. Take, for example, the ever popular Bloxorz, the Lemonade Stand Game, or Bloons Tower Defense. Each are maddeningly fun and addictive, but each are also designed to engage the thinking skills of gifted learners. Many teachers quickly turn to Cool Math when they are looking for extension activities for their fast finishers, and now you can too. Everything on the site is free to use. Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/family/articles/70813.aspx#ixzz0nVoYSMoo

"Knoword is a game of quick thinking, smart decisions and great words. When you begin, you will be given one randomly generated dictionary definition along with the first letter of its corresponding word. You must fill in the rest of the word to experience a gain in points and an added time bonus. You will start off with one minute before the game ends, and every word is an opportunity to extend your time. If you're ever stuck on a word, just hit the skip button and a new puzzle will present itself."

Lumosity is great, good for some brain exercise online

As one of the top free educational games sites on the web, you would probably expect Sheppard Software to have a strong representation here. Logic games, word games, puzzle games, and strategy games are just some of the great brain training tools on offer here. They activities themselves may not be quite as slick as some of the sites on here, but the skills involved will test young minds as much as anything else out there. Castle Defense is a perennial favorite, but Maze Race and Bouncing Balls are also worth a mention. The only drawback with these games is that they tend to be a little short and only offer one level. However, sometimes that is a good thing too, especially with younger learners. Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/106947.aspx?p=2#ixzz1EGadkx23

Need word/math puzzles for older students? This could be the place for that extra home learning or class problem (projecter)

The ProProfs website has lots of free online games for gifted children, but the best place to start is with the logic games. Leapfroggies, Chess, Sliding Block Puzzles, Mazes, Nonograms, and SHOT are all great games to get started with, as each involves some kind of higher level thinking in order to be successful. There are many more online games that would also be suitable for gifted children in the Brain Teasers or Brain Training sections. Just click the links at the top of the page and explore. Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/family/articles/70813.aspx#ixzz0nVoWEgOF

Bridge building physics

The brain training learning games at ProProfs are a great way to engage your students in some higher level thinking skills. Currently they have 26 games and they represent a good variety of the kind of skills you would expect in this genre of learning software. So, it's no wonder that ProProfs is often rated among the best online games for gifted children. The 60 Second Brain Game is an intense visual and audio test, while Double Bubble and Colour Balls are equally challenging, and get harder the more you play them. There are also a whole collection of other educational games on this site, so if you haven't been here before, you should definitely check it out, because there is a lot to like on this site. Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/106947.aspx?p=2#ixzz1EGalJbua

Another great site that is well worth your time is Kidopo. This educational site has an amazing collection of brain games that will keep your students engaged for hours. As with everything else on Kidopo, the games are specifically chosen because they are student friendly and appropriate for use at school. Again, all the games are very well produced, and the interest level they generate is always high. Try Fling, Zoo Escape, Mechanics, or Prizma Puzzle 2 with your students and you will quickly see how hard their brains can really work! Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/106947.aspx#ixzz1EGaMIU7l