Connetix are a wonderful method of engaging your child by engaging them in puzzle solving and encouraging them to develop their cognitive and artistic skills. Since children learn best through play Connetix are an excellent resource. Here are a few ways to use Connetix to make puzzle games for a fun and educational and enjoyable experience.
Fun Games
Mazes
Mazes are a proven method for your child’s to acquire the art of problem-solving. With siblings or in a classroom setting this is a great group activity to work with others!
Utilizing a Connetix base plateas a base, or a baking tray, if you’ve never already got a baseplate in your collection, you can create an exciting maze with your child. It is possible to walk through it as finger-people, make use of small dolls, or even a toy car to navigate through. You can also tilt the tray in order to create the ball move through. Make sure you add Dead ends in your maze! The walls can be moved around making it harder for hours of amusement.
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Dominoes
Kids love knocking things down. Building an obstacle course of dominoes takes some time, which helps build patience and helps to develop the art of planning. Younger children will be amazed at the chain reaction when they are smashing the very first tile down!
Challenge your child to use the colours of the rainbow in ROYGBIV order or to create a triangle or square to take down. Bring the room to life with a domino trail!
Sticker Puzzles
Create your own DIY puzzles using removable stickers , and placing them over the joints between 2 (or more) Connetix, then carefully cutting along the join to create puzzle pieces!
Mathematical Puzzles
Numerical Puzzles
It’s difficult to come up with any mathematical concepts you could not teach using Connetix. They are super perfect for creating mathematically simple puzzles! Factoring? Sure, simply write a number on a large tile and the various numbers on small tiles. Then, show the child how to pull the right tiles onto the factor tree.
Addition, subtraction, multiplication as well as division are all achieved by using the tiles as objects that you can place and take away. But by writing figures on them with dry-erase markers, it is possible to even tackle the basics of algebra in an approach that can help more visual learners!
Sudoku
Sudoku is a classic numbers-based puzzle designed to test your brain and build concentration and mathematics skills. Children enjoy the opportunity to share an passion with their parents. In the same time, they can improve their decision-making abilities logic, reasoning skills, and spatial awareness.
Use a dry-erase or chalk marker to write numbers directly onto the tiles. You can also use number stickers, however, the marker is much easier to remove than prying off stickers. Utilizing Connetix is much more fun than using just a pencil or paper! (Just make sure to test spot markers first and remove from the play area after).
Patterns
Eye-pleasing patterns are easy to create with designs and colors like Connetix can provide! Try challenging your child to design a flower the shape of a square, or numbers and letters. Connetix even offers free printable resources so kids can independently solve the challenges too.
What better way to learn geometry than by using this Connetix Geometry pack! Kids can design snowflakes, people, and animals out of all shapes and learn about the names of the shapes as they go. By using refrigerators or whiteboards you can design DIY puzzles by tracing the outline of shapes and/or asking children to sort by their connetix with patterns and colours.
What about 3D shapes? These versatile tiles can make any shape from prisms and pyramids to a standing robot , or even an entire wall.
Symmetry Puzzles
Symmetry-based puzzles are a wonderful way to encourage recognition of patterns and colors. It is essential for developing geometry skills. On flat surfaces, draw half of an image for your children to create a mirror of the work. For instance,
In constructing symmetry-related puzzles children will be able to explore organisational skills, and learn how shapes function together when they rotate. They can also tessellate their Connetix to make an mirror reflection of the original pattern that was made.
The Literacy Program and Word Games
Connetix tiles can be used in a variety of ways for literacy gains. Kids love this so much better than dull worksheets.
Synonym and Antonym Recognition
Write synonyms and antinomies on Connetix tiles. Then, have the children attach them together according to your directions. What are the opposites, or similar?
Story Time
Children can write stories using the use of a magnetic board as well as tiles that contain words. You can also play Mad Libs: write a story on the board, leaving space for children to add in a noun and/or verb that is from their word pile!
Languages Languages
Write down words in Spanish (or the other language your children are currently working on) and then the English equivalents onto tiles. Ask your children to make a match! (Did you know Connetix provide printable and free resources in a variety of languages?)
Compound Words
This is a great way to teach literacy through hands-on activities. Similar to the Sudoku trick, you can use dry-erase or chalk markers to draw the distinct components of compound words on the Connetix. Play with words such as moon, ground light, sea, shell, bee and hive.
It’s also an invitation to giggle as children try putting moon and bee together or other fun combinations! Discuss it with your kids what you think: why don’t we have such things as a moonbee the lightbean, or beehive? What do they look like and behave like?
Connetix ceramic tiles a great source to promote learning through PLAY! They are a great resource for magnetic play. Connetix are the best option for exploring puzzle play while also developing fine and cognitive skills. Have you played with any of these Connetix games yet?
The way Steve Jobs said, “creativity is simply joining things.” Provide your kid with the resources they need to unleash their creative juices! The reviews are out, and Connetix is able to live up to the hype time and time again. But don’t rely on us for it. Take a test to see for yourself, and get started playing with them to learn.