Excellerations Engineered to Build Blocks

Excellerations Engineered to Build Blocks

In the bag: 18 wooden blocks, 25 pattern cards,1 storage bag.

Another great go-to activity from Excellerations to help develop visual perceptual skills. Solid wood pieces and increasingly difficult pattern cards make this an activity that your child can grow with.

Models have from four to thirteen pieces. The canvas bag is just big enough and has a Velcro strip across the top, middle. The pieces won't stay in the bag if it is tipped, a zipper would have been nice. The balls are flat on the top and bottom for easy stacking. The pattern cards are printed on only one side and are very thick card stock. 

Here are two other activities by Excellerations that I have blogged about and like: Excellerations Spatial Play Set and Excellerations 3D Spatial Relations Activity Set. These sets were all bought online from Discount School Supply. A little pricey, but I have used them quite a bit.

For even more of this type of activity, see my post on What's in Your Therapy Box? Pattern Blocks Edition.

Try this:

• Start by playing with the blocks and building with them randomly so that the individual can familiarize himself with the pieces and how they look from different views and how they stack.
• Give a beginner each piece in order and let him arrange/stack it to build the model. As the individual gets more skills, allow him to choose where to start and how to proceed.
• Place all the pieces needed for a puzzle and the puzzle card in front of the individual and remove the rest if you think he will be overwhelmed or won't be able to find them in the larger group of pieces.
• Leave all the pieces in a pile and ask the individual to find each piece in the group as he needs it.
• Put only the needed pieces in the bag and Velcro it shut. One by one, as each new piece is needed, have the child inset his hand through the opening in the top and find, by feel only, each correct piece.
• Use consistent positional language as you work.
• Find all the pieces for the card ahead of time. Place only those pieces and the card in front of the individual if you want to focus on a single goal, such as spatial orientation. This may decrease frustration that might be added by working on too many things at once.
• Turn the pieces on the tabletop in different orientations than the individual will need them before he starts working so he will have to recognize them from different orientations. If he is looking for pieces by color only, this may not apply.
• Ask the individual to find the error if one is made before jumping in to help. Can he compare the 3D model to the 2D model, find the error and correct it?
• Place a piece on the model for the individual, as he watches, if he is having difficulty with orientation. Then take the piece off, turn it, and hand it to the individual to place.
• Work on spatial relations, visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, visualization, manual dexterity, eye-hand coordination, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.