Melissa & Doug Magnetic Pattern Block Kit

Work on manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, palmar arch strength/stability, coordinated use of both hands, motor planning, body awareness, tactile perception, visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, spatial relations, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, attention, recognition of shapes and shape names, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the bag: Magnetic board, 120 magnetic geometric pieces, 6 cards (12 pictures)

A magnetic pattern board that I have used quite a bit. The frame of the board and all of the pieces are wood. The colors and the shapes match the general pattern pieces that you find in many of the geometric math activity sets. Place a card on top of the magnetic white board and build right on top of it, or place the card next to the board and build from the card on top of the board. The cards show the outline of each piece and have held up well. So has the carrying case. I often use the magnetic pattern sets with beginners or individuals who have slight hand tremors or other conditions that impact their fine motor precision because magnetic pieces, once laid, are harder to disturb if bumped than non-magnetic pieces. 

For more activities of this type, check out What's in Your Therapy Box? Pattern Blocks Edition.

Try this:

• Play with the pieces before using the boards and point out the differences in size, shape, color, etc.
• Put the first piece in place in front of the individual if he cannot look at the picture and figure out where to start. Or say something like "let's start with the ears".
• Build on top of the card. Once this is mastered, build next to the card. Then prop the card up in front of the individual and build by looking up at it.
• Orient and place a piece if the individual is having trouble with orientation. Then pick it up, hand it to the individual, and invite him to place it.
• Hand the individual a piece he will need and ask him to turn it in-hand for the correct placement.
• Use consistent directional and positional language such as above, to the left of, under, flush, etc.
• Find all pieces for the picture ahead of time. Place only those pieces (or even fewer) next to the board if you want to focus on one specific skill at a time, such as spatial orientation. This may decrease frustration from working on too many things at once.
• Practice recognizing shapes from different orientations. Ask the individual to search through all the available pieces to find the ones he needs. Make sure that the pieces are in various positions so that some are facing the wrong direction, some are overlapping, some are upside-down, some are on their sides, etc.
• Correct errors as soon as they are made as continuing to build on incorrect placement may impact the rest of the model.
• Teach the individual to recognize and correct errors. After the individual places a piece incorrectly, ask "Are you sure?" or say "Try again". If he cannot figure out the error, make the correction while he watches. Then pick up the piece and hand it to him to place.
• Give fading prompts as the individual learns to identify errors and correct mistakes on his own.
• Ask the individual to cup his non-dominant hand to help strengthen palmar arches. If he has trouble doing this, place a small ball in his hand and ask him to curl and lightly squeeze his fingers around the ball. Then remove the ball and ask him to hold his hand in that position. Place several of the pieces he will need in the cupped hand and keep the hand cupped while he places the pieces on the card.

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