MindWare : Customer Reviews : Pattern Play: Bright Colors

maggiez

January 02, 2018

awesome like the old days

This reminded me of a toy I had as a child so I ordered it for my 4 year old grandson. It is real wood, beautifully made. There are 40 cards to make 40 different designs. My husband did a random one with the 4-year-old and it was tough because it required turning some of the blocks on a 45 degree angle under the top surface. Oops, I thought. Too hard for him. But I went through all the patterns and only 10 of the 40 require using the 45 degree angle so it's a toy he can grow with because those other 10 cards require the ability to think in 3 dimensions. I put a dot on all the card he can do now (30). He's still a LITTLE young to do them independently but it's a fun activity to do with an adult. He can also play with them just as blocks, obviously. I would recommend the manufacturer put a dot on the harder cards. Other than that, it's a beautiful learning toy.

caregiver

November 13, 2017

perfect activity for Alzheimer's client

When even 24-piece jigsaw puzzles recently became too difficult for my 81-year-old Alzheimer's client, something made me remember how much my grandson enjoyed his Pattern Play blocks. I bought a set for my client and she loves it. Unlike jigsaw puzzles with confusing tabs and bits of pictures, the solid pieces and pattern cards make it possible for her to complete a design herself. But the process is still challenging enough to keep her interested. She loves the bright colors and also "free plays" with the blocks. I highly recommend this for family members or clients with dementia who still enjoy activities.

Nenas

January 02, 2016 – Nebraska, USA

totally fun

Oh my gosh, my kids from 3 years old to 5th grade just love this, fun, entertaining and educational. They compete to see who can come up with the coolest pattern, thanks, it is just great, I bought 3, one for me here for the grandkids, one for my granddaughter teacher and her boyfriend who is also a teacher, they were excited to get it. Linda

December 28, 2013

LOVE the puzzle basic concepts.. however, very disappointed that the cards are ONLY 1/4 THE SIZE OF THE PUZZLE BASE.. This sis not specified in the puzzle description... One would expect the pattern cards to fit the base!! For three year olds, it would be pretty frustrating to look at a 4x4' card and try to match up and organize the pieces based on shape and color.. my child became frustrated and needed consistent help from parents in order to complete one pattern.. If the cards had been FULL SIZE to fit puzzle base, i think she would have had more success being independent, figuring things out on her own, and having the thrill of accomplishment and be excited to try another without parental encouragement..

teach4s

May 12, 2017

Love this puzzle!

My higher level students love this puzzle! They choose a picture card and try to duplicate the pattern. A bit difficult for most 4's but my 5's are figuring it out w assistance. It's colorful and has many possibilities for completion. The patterns are cool. I like to provide some challenging puzzles in my classroom for higher students.

baspleiss

February 14, 2016 – Minneapolis, MN

Good for all ages

We use it daily in our rehab/ therapy gym. We have people from 65-102 years old that might use it during the day. Some of them find it difficult and some enjoy the challenge and others enjoy the simplicity and something different to occupy their time. It is a fun way to interact with our patients. I do suggest offering pattern cards that are bigger and or laminated. They do show their wear after awhile. Our clients would like the cards to be larger to read easier.

January 03, 2013

The quality of the Pattern Play was excellent. It would be much better if there were cards that fit the bottom of the tray so younger children could match the pieces to the pattern. It only frustrated our 3 1/2 year old. Thank you

critical mommy

September 19, 2017

happy kid = happy mom

We got this as a gift for my 4 year old. Its a very engaging toy and keeps her busy and stimulated for hours. She demands that i participate with her at times but also wants to copy or create patterns on her own without any help or supervision. We've just had this for a week, and my little one has already recreated all the designs in the cards... to top that she has grasped the concept of repeated pattern and starts from two sides consecutively when she tries to form a new pattern herself. Pair this with team oomi zoomi cartoons, your child will grasp the concept of patterns without you putting much effort in it. I would recommended this toy without reservation for early math skills! and thank you Mindware, the concept and execution is laudable!

Mama

January 10, 2016

Educational

My great nephew has just turned three and is very interested in building and putting together items. He has throughly enjoyed solving the shape color problems. It keeps him engaged.

3Mgrm

December 29, 2015

creative activity

The gift is giving my granddaughter a chance to be creative. It is something she can work on independently.

RScrib

April 05, 2015 – Grand Prairie, TX

Fun puzzle and not as simple as it looks. Great customer service.

This puzzle has been fun for my son and turned out to be more difficult than it seemed. He found a half dozen cards which seemed impossible to create given the blocks in the set. Instead of using my brain and digging in to find a solution, I contacted MindWare and asked why the cards and blocks did not match. They showed me that there was a solution. So if you are as dense as I am, try turning the blocks on the side so the slopes are up and down. By sliding the slope of one over the other there are new possibilities for patterns. I have to say the the MindWare customer service response was immediate. And my inquiries resulted in fantastic help from their operations team. Truly a great customer service experience.

June

January 23, 2013

I bought this item for my twin boys when they were about 3 years old. It was something they loved to play with and never tired of. They are now 14 and still love to play with the Pattern Play. All of their friends love it as well. Last time their friends were visiting they actually put down the video game controllers and made patterns together all afternoon! Amazing!! I recently purchased another pattern play as a gift for a teenager in our family who fell in love with it while visiting us. This item is a solid home run. Oh, I forgot to mention that Mom and Dad love to play with it too!!

Customer Reviews for Pattern Play: Bright Colors