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Building MESH (Mental, Emotional and Social Health) skills is crucial for a child’s development. Brain games can support these skills by encouraging children to solve problems, persevere through challenges, adapt to new situations, self-regulate and think critically. CONNETIX offer endless opportunities for engaging brain games that combine fun with learning. Here are six creative activities to help children develop these essential skills.
This game involves a blindfold and a selection of square tiles with pairs of different tiles that are placed on top of them. The idea is to present two tiles at a time, one in each hand and they feel them and decide whether they are the same. This activity involves the use of cognitive skills (memory) trying to identify the two shapes at the same time with one hand. My five-year old found this challenging and felt the tiles with both hands, this will develop with practise.
AIM: To successfully match the tiles in pairs. This could be made into a race activity if you have more sets.
You can make this more difficult by presenting the same shapes but facing in different directions which would also develop problem-solving skills by having to rotate them. This activity could also be adapted to identify letters, numbers and even match mandalas.Â
This series of brain games we have tried to develop in an upright position. By doing an activity like this in a standing position it can help children develop proprioceptive and tactile skills. The use of a blindfold will also help to enhance proprioceptive efficiency – our sense of position and movement. Blindfolded activities often involve problem-solving, as children need to work out how to complete a task without visual cues. This encourages critical thinking skills and the ability to adapt to different situations.
This game you can create both 2D and 3D versions. This activity we used a combination of seated and vertical play. The 2D version led to the construction of the 3D play. We used a Rubik’s ‘face shaker’ to choose the design/pattern of each of the six sides. You could design these on cards or even with additional tiles.
AIM: To make the sequence of the squares and then build a model Rubik’s cube. The vertical play transferring the 2D version to a 3D version involves perseverance and cognitive skills including attention.
Make the 3D cube using net images of a cube. The 2D version could start with all tiles present and instead of placing them one-by-one you unscramble them by sliding them one-by-one. The 2D version could also be used as a memory game to recall the tile positions.
The idea of patterned logic helps by improving analytical skills, develops problem solving and pattern recognition. This activity will help children to develop motor skills, core strength and coordination. Once the cube is complete, they will feel a sense of accomplishment. If the build results in collapse, then they will need to regulate their emotions and demonstrate resilience to start again. This is a good activity to do with more than one child working together and communicating to achieve success.
This game involves two stacks of different coloured tiles. Place each coloured tiles onto a whiteboard as a sorting colour tile. We used the base plates as a guide grid. Then with a stack near the child’s left side and a stack near the child’s right side they simultaneously take the top tile from each stack and splat above on the matching-coloured tile.
AIM: To complete the lifting and matching action with both arms at the same time. This is known as bilateral movement where you simultaneously engage both sides of the brain.
This could be made more difficult by writing the word for a distinct colour on the sorting tile. For instance, on a red coloured tile you write yellow, and it is the writing rather than the colour of the tile that would indicate which tile should be splatted.
Matching puzzle games improve your child’s visual-spatial reasoning. Visual-spatial reasoning is extremely important for hand-eye coordination and understanding depth perception. The bilateral movement can help the brain’s natural healing processes reducing anxiety and stress responses. This could be a timed activity to see how many you can ‘splat’ and compare scores.
The base tiles are great for this activity. The arrow tiles are placed in various directions at the top on the base plate on the first row but leaving the left corner space empty. The first column you place the rectangles’; again, top left square is left blank. Where the two meet like coordinates the direction and colour indicate how the ‘object’ tile should be placed. We used a snake and we have seen a fish version too.
AIM: To match two criteria from the left and the top of the grid to decide the tile placement on the grid.Â
Add a timed element or compete against another person. A larger grid with a different coding system can be used to develop skills further.
By organising coding blocks or solving puzzles, they can enhance their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These activities require children to think logically and sequentially, allowing cognitive development in a hands-on, interactive way. The action of physically manipulating objects, can lead to more creative and innovative thinking. It encourages them to predict the outcomes of their coding sequences and develop solutions. Many screen-free coding activities can be collaborative, providing opportunities for children to work together, share ideas and learn from each other.
For this activity you must draw half of a symmetrical image on a tile (or print) and the child then must draw the matching symmetrical image. My five-year-old found this one tricky so I drew the other half on a tile to demonstrate and show as a prompt.
AIM: To develop an ability to recognise symmetrical images and be able to reproduce them.
The images that are used will determine how challenging this activity is. The more extravagant the image, the more difficult it will be.
This activity provides a hands-on way for children to explore the idea of symmetry. By completing the missing halves of the images, children can develop their spatial awareness and visual perception skills.
This brain game requires a grid with one column empty. If you use a base plate, three columns are filled with an equal number of three assorted colours.
AIM: The idea is to have three columns of three tiles sorted by colour. They can only move one at a time and only move on top of the same colour. They must rearrange until all colours are the same. This is also a good game to use as a timed activity to compete or even as a collaborative activity.
This may work as a blindfolded teamwork activity for older children. A larger grid and one with various style tiles would make this activity more challenging.
This is a problem- solving activity but you need perseverance to keep going until you get it right. By identifying differences and similarities in objects they will improve their reasoning skills. Sorting and matching things helps develop visual perceptual skills, cognition and memory skills.
Brain games are a fun way to develop important skills independently or as part of a family games night. Many of these skills developed are transferable and most of all screen-free, which is an important factor in a world so heavily organised by digital means. It is nice to have a break from screens and embark on hands-on learning, which will also boost physical development in the process!
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