Learning Resources Mental Blox Critical Thinking Game, Homeschool, 20 Blocks, 40 Activity Cards, Ages 5+,Multicolor

I purchased this item in 2019 for my grandkids. Five years later, I’m using the same item for 2 other grandkids. It develops vocabulary, concentration, copying figures to 3-D. Figures are durable and easy to handle for 3-4 year old hands. This is truly a learning toy! I did not make a mistake when I purchased this in 2019.

I use this game in my Public Speaking course (Freshman-level Speech) for college students. We play the game 2 different ways:1) Active Listening/Effective Communication: There are about 5-6 students in a group. I have the picture cards. One student from each group will come view the card for 10 seconds and then return to the group to describe how to build the structure in the picture. They have to employ memory skills and effective communication skills during this process. They have to remember the shapes, colors, and patterns on each block and how they were positioned in the picture, and THEN they have to communicate all of that info back to the group. And when they are actively competing against other teams, it's even more challenging, but it gets them up and moving and working in teams, which is my goal. (15-30 mins)2) Team-Building/Small Group Communication: Again, there are about 5-6 students in a group (I would prefer 4 or less, but I only have 2 sets of these blocks). They determine their own roles in the group and what each member will do. Some choose to observe, some prefer to build, and some prefer to interpret the cards and direct the building of the structure. The cards include a picture and a challenge statement at the bottom, so after they build the structure, they must then rebuild the structure according to the challenge statement. Only a few of the challenges have only ONE answer, so they inadvertently discuss all possible solutions. I generally don't interact with the groups when they are playing this game; I prefer to monitor if and how well their teams are working together and occasionally offer remind them who is hands-on, who is good at interpreting data, and who is a good evaluator or helper. (15-30 mins)Durability: pretty good1) The cards are printed on slick paper and are fairly durable.2) The blocks are plastic and get knocked over often. We have linoleum floors in our classrooms so they have endured some abuse. Only one block has broken so far - the sphere - and we just taped it back together and it's still going strong.What you get:1) The cards are double-sided and include 40 puzzles total. They range from easy to difficult.2) There are 2 sets of blocks included, which allows (for me) only 2 teams to be working from the same set of cards.For $18, I have gotten a LOT of use out of this critical-thinking game. I will most likely add 2 more sets to my collection, to facilitate more group activities in the classroom. The only downside is I have only been able to incorporate the game once per semester, but that could just be a lack of creativity on my part.

The media could not be loaded. This 3-D puzzle game is a lot of fun. The pictures give great ideas for the builder to make. I love that the cards are multi-level and multi-lingual. All different age groups can enjoy these for hours of fun!

I bought this game for my 3, and 4 year old children. I wanted something that would be a bit educational but still lots of fun. All my children love to build and play with blocks so I thought it would be a hit. Right now the kids just like to look at the pictures and build the structure shown. Basically there are 2 ways to play.1. you get to look at the card for 10 sec and try to build the structure based off of what you remember. The first team/child to build the structure correctly wins the round.2. The second way to play is you build the structure then try to follow the clues on the card to alter the structure to solve the clue.As others have said the clues have some pretty intense vocabulary such as "attributes" that seem a bit advanced for the kids but I work on trying to modify the verbage so that my kiddos can still play along. They still have a hard time with this aspect of the game but I like that they can grow with the game. The blocks are colorful and a nice size. My only complaint is the plastic they are made of makes them loud if the kids like to knock down the towers at the end of the game.If I could give this a 4 1/2 I would the only challenge is the vocabulary.This game is a hit in our house.I would recommend this game to any family, and will keep it in mind for when I have to buy toys or games for other children.

This is seriously the best game for all ages! I don’t know why it says 5+ as it can easily be modified for toddlers and every age above. I have children ranging in ages from 3-12 and they all love this puzzle game. I originally purchased it as a sensory toy for my five year old child with sensory processing disorder. This game helps calm him as he focuses on building each picture. He is also able to build what I describe to him. His older siblings like to play too and even the three year old can copy the pictures on the card. It truly is a game for every age. The pieces are made from hard plastic and are perfect for little hands. My only complaint is the game cards. Though they are laminated card stock they are very thin making them easy to bend. Already ours are bending and creasing.

This set is very cool. As a game, you can play alone, with a partner, with teams, or any other configuration you can think of. It's great for our 5 year old and our 3 year old sorts and does some things too. It's memory + logic and the cards have cool questions on them. The puzzles get challenging quickly if you rely on the cards. You could just describe what you want someone to build, too. That's the point of these ... and they hit all the plusses. They're sturdy and light. Glad we got them for COVID-19 homeschool!

I love the many ways i can use this activity and how i can dial it up or down for different levels of development. For the younger kids i show the a card and ask them to build it. For the older kids i have them build a design using no more than one of each shape/color unseen by me and have them describe it to me so i can build it. Great fun. Only complaint is when returning it to the box the cardboard dividers do not stay together and i must fit them together to keep the pieces seperate like i want to store them. This is a bit time consuming. I guess i will get some tape and affix them so i don't have this problem.