About Puzzles with Pattern Blocks: Sets 1, 2 and 3

What's the math in this game?

Observing children as they play with pattern block puzzles is a great way to see their spatial reasoning skills develop. Spatial reasoning is our ability to think about objects and shapes and to move them around into new and different positions. Help children learn to identify shapes even as the orientation of the shapes change. An 'upside down' triangle is still a triangle, and a square tilted on its corner is still a square! As children fill in their shape outlines, notice whether they know right away which block to get or if they use trial and error with a few different blocks to see which ones fit. You can also notice whether children are able to shift, rotate, and flip the blocks to make them fit. Give children plenty of time to try on their own. Then, if needed, you can make suggestions about different blocks to try. These puzzles are designed to push children's thinking about how to put together and take apart shapes. With practice, they may recognize that there are many ways that different shapes can be formed. Some of the templates have several copies of a single puzzle on the page. Try to fill in as many as you can and then compare and discuss the different solutions.