I tested Cleverclixx in class. And WOW - the kids loved it! Both toddlers and pre-schoolers. They found it fascinating to discover magnetism, and loved the beautiful colours of the tiles.
A quick introduction to my class: It’s very multicultural, and in Antwerp. And it’s a mixed-age group - i.e. a mix of 3, 4 and 5-year-olds.
Experimenting with Cleverclixx at school
When I first presented these magnetic tiles, I let the pre-schoolers experiment as they wished. They discovered magnetism, built towers, made tracks for the cars. And discovered the magic of what happens when the sun shines through the tiles, producing beautiful reflections.
On a particularly sunny day, the toddlers called me to come and see what they were doing. They had discovered that the sun produced beautiful colours when it shone through the tiles. We soon noticed that we could also play with the light and mix colours. Put red and yellow on top of each other and hold them in the sun – and you get orange! The children decided that they’d always play with the tiles near the window in future, to enjoy the beautiful play of light and colour.
Making 2D patterns with magnetic tiles
After letting the kids experiment for a few days, I introduced 2D patterns. They’re in the booklet that comes with the tiles. Imitating these examples is perfect for developing logical thinking and introducing the kids to basic geometric shapes. The 2D patterns are perfect for younger toddlers and they loved making hearts, rockets, stars, cats and elephants.
Older pre-schoolers will be more challenged by the 3D patterns. Examples of these are also provided in the booklet. Teachers can easily use them to make step-by-step plans. My toddlers made a giraffe, a rabbit, a star, a castle. And you could see that they were enjoying themselves immensely!
Exploring the Ball Run
Then we decided to explore the Ball Run. This was a bit too difficult for my youngest pre-schoolers. I let them build the towers, then I helped by clicking in the tubes. The toddlers played with the Ball Run extensively, discovering the fastest track, the slowest ball, and so on.
My older pre-schoolers could build the Ball Run. Though sometimes they had difficulty getting the tubes to click in. Which I would help them with. It’s great to see the pre-schoolers being creative and engaged in problem-solving. When they test a track they’ve built, they’ll notice that a piece is missing, for example. Then they have to figure out where they’ve gone wrong, to correct the error.
The tiles can be used in many ways. They challenge children to be extremely creative and use their imagination. And there are endless ways to play with these toys – as dominoes, for building castles, as light and colour games, in 2D and 3D patterns, making car tracks, erecting the tallest possible structure, and so on.
Interested in using Cleverclixx in the classroom? I definitely recommend it!
Cleverclixx helps achieve goals in:
- Logical thinking
- Patterns
- Experimenting
- Light play
- Mixing colours
- Problem-solving thinking
- Technical topics: structural strength, magnetism
- Concepts such as slow/fast, low/high, long/short
- Geometric shapes
- Etc.
I am very grateful to Cleverclixx for letting me test these tiles with my pre-schoolers. The kids think they are great! In a nutshell: My pre-schoolers can’t get enough of them. They can play endlessly with Cleverclixx!
