Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards

Pattern Blocks and Boards set.

In the box: 5 wooden boards (10 designs), 120 wooden pieces

There are a lot of pattern block activities out there and Melissa & Doug have more than a few. If you have read my blog much, you will already know my pet peeve for many of their products - packaging. This product has multiple pieces and no lid. Once you open the shrink wrap, it is up to you to figure out how to store them.

The boards and pieces to this kit are all wooden. The boards are smooth and the pieces are smooth, making it easy for pieces to slide if bumped, so work on a flat surface.

The boards measure approximately 7 5/8" x 6 1/4". Patterns include a flower, rabbit, bird, geometric design, train, butterfly, fish, snail, dog, ship. There are two patterns per board, one on each side. Pieces needed per pattern range anywhere from 10-18.

The pieces are brightly painted and come in the shapes you see in the image above. The shapes and colors match the size/shape/color format that you see with a lot of these types of activities. Geometric shapes are fun to use for working on spatial relations as pieces need to be turned and placed in specific orientations.   

I know I already griped about this, but there is no lid to this box. I just don't get the thinking that goes behind selling a set with 125 pieces and no lid.  

Other Melissa & Doug pattern blocks kits I have blogged about include the magnetic set and the beginners set. 

For more toys and games that use pattern blocks, check out my post 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. Show how one piece can look different in different orientations.
• Build on top of the board. Once this is mastered, build on the tabletop next to the board. Finally, prop the board up in front of the individual so that he will have to look up and remember before looking down to work on the tabletop.
• 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". This may be more difficult for the individual if you are building on the tabletop next to the board, in blank space.
• Talk about the pieces by their shape and color and encourage the individual to do so. For instance, you could say the middle of the flower is a yellow hexagon and the green petals are triangles. Or, the rabbit's tail is a square, but when you turn it like this, it's also a diamond.
• 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 orient and 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.
• 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.
• Work on figure ground by placing many pieces on the tabletop and letting the individual look them over to find the ones he needs. 
• Work on visual closure and visual form constancy by placing pieces on the tabletop so that they are in different orientations from what the individual will need, and so that some are overlapping where parts of them are hidden. However, if the individual figures out that there is only one piece per color, and color is the attribute that he uses to choose his pieces, you will not be working on these skills in this way.
• Correct errors as soon as they are made as continuing to build on incorrect placement may impact the rest of the puzzle.
• 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, correct the piece 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. If he has trouble doing this, place a small ball in his hand and ask him to curl 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 board with the dominant hand.
• Work on manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, visual memory, palmar arch strength/stability, visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, spatial relations, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, executive functioning skills, process skills, recognition of shapes and shape names, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

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