Create, create, create! MindWare’s Imagination Links are all about creating and designing outlines of your favorite things. Your Imagination Links include 30 double sided example cards (60 different patterns) to make with high-quality wooden pieces for linking together.
Our 4 and 6 year old toy testers loved sifting through the cards. We organized the cards by category to be able to make a best selection: animals, food, shapes, vehicles, etc. It helped them to narrow down their choices.
They worked both together and independently as they practiced visual-spatial skills and followed directions to match a picture card. There was problem solving and color/pattern recognition as they built, connected, and revised. After a few designs, our 6 year old tester was ready to create his own too.
When it was time to break up their designs, our testers were a bit sad, wanting to save it “forever.” Instead, we decided to trace the outline on paper and then headed outside to do the same with chalk. This was a big hit! After outlining their linked designs, more art and creation continued.
They began to group all the categories together, building and rebuilding and then tracing so that cat could be next to the mouse. The heart, star, and circle were all in the same group. They even began trying to create the entire alphabet. The only complaint from our toy testers, “we need more links!”
Imagination Links are a great early STEM toy that practices problem solving, builds fine motor skills, following directions and color/pattern matching. Children really began to use their imaginations as they created different designs and worked together to create picture scenes with chalk by tracing their designs.
Buy it at MindWare
