Learning Resources Mental Blox Critical Thinking Game, Homeschool, 20 Blocks, 40 Activity Cards, Ages 5+,Multicolor

My 3.5-year-old son loves the challenge of recreating images with the blocks. It's both challenging and fun. an excellent tool for early critical thinking.

My son enjoyed playing it

I use this game in my Public Speaking course (Freshman-level Speech) for college students. We play the game 2 different ways: 1) Active Listening/Effective Communication: There are about 5-6 students in a group. I have the picture cards. One student from each group will come view the card for 10 seconds and then return to the group to describe how to build the structure in the picture. They have to employ memory skills and effective communication skills during this process. They have to remember the shapes, colors, and patterns on each block and how they were positioned in the picture, and THEN they have to communicate all of that info back to the group. And when they are actively competing against other teams, it's even more challenging, but it gets them up and moving and working in teams, which is my goal. (15-30 mins) 2) Team-Building/Small Group Communication: Again, there are about 5-6 students in a group (I would prefer 4 or less, but I only have 2 sets of these blocks). They determine their own roles in the group and what each member will do. Some choose to observe, some prefer to build, and some prefer to interpret the cards and direct the building of the structure. The cards include a picture and a challenge statement at the bottom, so after they build the structure, they must then rebuild the structure according to the challenge statement. Only a few of the challenges have only ONE answer, so they inadvertently discuss all possible solutions. I generally don't interact with the groups when they are playing this game; I prefer to monitor if and how well their teams are working together and occasionally offer remind them who is hands-on, who is good at interpreting data, and who is a good evaluator or helper. (15-30 mins) Durability: pretty good 1) The cards are printed on slick paper and are fairly durable. 2) The blocks are plastic and get knocked over often. We have linoleum floors in our classrooms so they have endured some abuse. Only one block has broken so far - the sphere - and we just taped it back together and it's still going strong. What you get: 1) The cards are double-sided and include 40 puzzles total. They range from easy to difficult. 2) There are 2 sets of blocks included, which allows (for me) only 2 teams to be working from the same set of cards. For $18, I have gotten a LOT of use out of this critical-thinking game. I will most likely add 2 more sets to my collection, to facilitate more group activities in the classroom. The only downside is I have only been able to incorporate the game once per semester, but that could just be a lack of creativity on my part.

Ce jeu a été une très belle découverte. Je l’utilise avec mon fils autiste pour travailler la perception spatiale, la logique et la concentration, et il a fait d’énormes progrès grâce à Mental Blox. Les pièces sont agréables à manipuler, solides, bien conçues, et les cartes de défi stimulent vraiment la réflexion. L’approche est ludique, non scolaire, ce qui rend l’apprentissage plus fluide et naturel. Aujourd’hui, il est capable de réaliser toutes les cartes, un apprentissage long mais toujours positif et motivant pour lui. C’est un jeu intelligent, bien pensé et "autism friendly", que je recommande sincèrement à tous les parents d’enfants neuroatypiques, ou simplement à ceux qui veulent un outil amusant pour développer la logique et la visualisation dans l’espace. Un vrai coup de cœur.

Good

Mi hijo tiene 6 años y entrará a primero de primaria. Es muy listo, así que colocar las piezas como la foto no le cuesta ningún trabajo, y hasta me Desanimé un poco, PERO de ahí leí que en cada carta hay una pregunta o reto por lograr y ahí es cuando las cosas se ponen interesantes. La mente se pone a trabajar y es cuando se convierte en un juego de buen nivel con pensamiento analitico e intuitivo. Las piezas son de plastico resistente. Las esferas tienen dos bases para que se mantengan en su lugar y los colores son brillantes. Muy buen juego de calidad como todo lo de Learning Resources. Lo recomiendo!

This is a fantastic game and I wish I had come up with the idea. It is a favourite amongst my students with visual motor skills difficulties. They love the look and feel of the blocks and how challenging the cards can be. I have since ordered 2 more for my class so there is not an argument over them.