EDUCATIONAL GAMES USING MARIOINEX WAFFLES
- Visual memory, visual analysis and synthesis, spatial thinking.
Easier version:
• Arrange a vertical pattern with waffles, while naming the color - encourage the child to repeat.
• Ask the child to say when they remember everything. This is an important element of the game, as it teaches independence in assessing how much time is needed to remember something.
• Cover the pattern and ask the child to arrange the same from memory.
• Then show your pattern and ask if it is the same. It is important for the child to compare the patterns independently. If it turns out that the pattern looks different, encourage the child to remember your pattern again, cover it again and then let the child change theirs.
More difficult version:
• Arrange a pattern with blocks in the shape of, for example, a square. It can also be an "image": a house, car, cat - the more creative, the more fun. For older children, creating three-dimensional constructions will be attractive: start by creating a colorful cube. When creating subsequent constructions, be guided by your imagination and the child's abilities.
- Auditory memory, auditory attention, linear processing of instructions.
Easier version:
• Prepare waffles in 3-4 colors.
• Tell the child which pattern to remember by hearing, e.g., red, blue, yellow, red, blue, yellow. The child can repeat the color names after you to remember them better.
During this time, the blocks should be covered or hidden in a box - then the child can rely only on their hearing, which improves their auditory attention, so important during school learning.
• After repeating two or three times, the child arranges the remembered sequence. If during the game it turns out that they do not remember the order of the colors, it is best to return to the earlier stage, instead of suggesting which color to choose. This affects not only auditory memory but also teaches perseverance and builds confidence in their abilities - the child REMEMBERS by themselves, not being helped by an adult.
• When the child finishes arranging, the adult slowly repeats the previously said sequence - the child independently checks if they have arranged the blocks correctly.
More difficult version:
• Prepare waffles in any number of colors, then cover them.
• Instruct the child that the pattern will consist of, for example, two rows on top of each other, so first pink, blue, green, and then red, blue, gray.
- Spatial imagination exercise for older children
• First, arrange your own flat pattern, but do not show it to the child.
• Then instruct the child, e.g., first place red, under red place yellow, to the right of yellow place blue, above blue place green. If you see that the child is placing a waffle in the wrong place, you can ask them which is their right hand or whether the cup is on or under the table. The presented suggestions for educational games using Marioinex waffles are just a small part of the possibilities they offer. In each of the games, besides the described functions, the child has the opportunity to improve fine motor skills, which play a key role in learning to write, and also is an opportunity for language exercises. In all games, the child's engagement is important - they choose the colors of the waffles, assess whether they remembered, and also independently check if they have completed the task correctly. It is also important to switch roles, i.e., the child builds a pattern for us or tells us in which colors to arrange it. Most children love to "teach" adults, and we, in turn, can practice our own memory and attention.