I recently had the opportunity to try out an innovative new product - Think Blocks. This is not your ordinary set of children’s building blocks but rather a toy designed to encourage conceptual thinking and build a child’s mind.

Here is a picture of a set of Think Blocks if you haven’t yet seen them:

According to the Think and Thrive website Think Blocks develop thinking skills in the followning areas:

ThinkBlocks are designed to teach four essentially important thinking skills: (1) contrasting between similarities and opposites or “distinction making”; (2) understanding part-whole structures or “systems thinking”; (3) recognizing interactions, associations, and cause and effect or “relational thinking”, and; (4) learning to see things from different points-of-view or “perspective taking”.

There are several unique features of Think Blocks that are found on other toys.

• Smaller blocks nest inside larger ones.
• Each block is magnetic.
• Blocks can be written on with dry erase marker.
• One side of the large and medium blocks is reflective (has a mirror type sticker)
• Magnetic tiles enhance the flexibility and scenario creation.

The central concept is that the smaller blocks easily nest inside the bigger ones. Thus you can explore relationships between just about anything. The large block can be a fores, the medium blocks can be plants and animals that are found in the forest, and the smallest blocks can be the food that plants and animals need. This short video shows how ecosystems can be learned with Think Blocks:

The possibilities for learning are not only for children and home. Businesses and organizations can also benefit by this visual form of learning. Presentations can be enhanced when concepts are shown, rather than just read.

Schools are another organization that will find Think Blocks to be a useful learning tool. I shared the Think Blocks with my son’s second grade teacher. She felt the blocks would bring a subject to life especially when working with small groups of children or even with special education requirements. She also mentioned that Think Blocks would be an excellent tool in a homeschooling environment.

As a parent, I like the Think Blocks and all that they have to offer. My older children used them to help conceptualize homework assignments that they were having difficulty with. The following video from the Think and Thrive website shows how Think Blocks can be used to teach basic multiplication and division concepts:

My younger children enjoyed playing with the Think Blocks and using them for grouping and creating imaginitive story lines.

If there is a downside, it would be that initially the play is very adult driven. The Think and Thrive website has a lot of video tutorials showcasing the different ways in which these children’s building blocks can be used to stimulate thought. But parents need to get involved and provide ideas and patterns. As the children become accustomed to using the blocks they will begin to take over and come up with their own ideas.

The Think and Thrive site states that the Think Blocks are appropriate for ages 4 to adult - but I found the smallest blocks to be tiny enough to pose a choking hazard to babies and children that still put items in their mouths. Just a little something to watch out for.

More information about Think Blocks, children’s building blocks for the mind, can be found at the Think and Thrive website.