“Brain Games” are activities that foster healthy brain development while the child is playing the game.
Fun times are optimal times for learning.
(Stressful times are the worst moments for learning.)
“Pattern Play” is made by Mindware (www.mindware.com) and available on that website for $29.95.
Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder typically have a weak grasp of order and symmetry. Their world has been so chaotic (or so it seems due to their trauma) that a sense of order doesn’t stand out to them and it isn’t “just logical”.
Secondly, kids with RAD often have weak spatial reasoning and motor planning. This game provides a concrete way to practice that by asking the child to work within the defined space of the wooden frame. The pieces have one angled side and one flat side, so the child has to figure out how to orient the pieces properly to create the designated shape, thus challenging their motor and spatial skills.
The designs do vary in level of difficulty. Toward the end there are designs where no angles are pictured. This can be a real mind-bender at first. Here is a sampling of some of the cards:
Bonus feature: the game is also full of “happy” colors and made entirely of real wood.
Suggested Method of Use for RAD Kids
1. First, have the child dump the pieces into the box lid. This may seem pointless, but it teaches them a simple way to keep track of all the pieces. (Lost game pieces are so annoying. Grr!)
2. Second, keep the cards in a wide envelope, plastic baggy, or CD sleeve. Show your child how to flip through the cards, looking at the top card and then placing it behind the others, as the child chooses which design he or she wants to make. Either put all the cards back in the baggy with the chosen design on top or put the pile back into the envelope and only keep out the chosen design. Either way your child now knows how to keep track of the cards.
3. Lastly, to be done playing the game, all the pieces must be put together according to one of the design cards, not a design of the child’s own creation. This ensures that all the pieces are enclosed and that everything fits neatly back into the box.
a. If your child is unable to finish the design, have the child do a simpler design, which she CAN finish.
b. If your child is unable to finish ANY design, then either gently coach them through it or complete it yourself, letting the child learn by watching you.
c. If your child is having a behavioral problem and needs to be done with the game ASAP, then just separate your child and the game (so pieces don’t go flying) either by moving the game or by safely moving your child, take care of what your child needs, and come back to the game later. Either you can leave it for the child to put away once they are calm, or you can put it away yourself.
Variations
1. Pattern Play 3-D
2. Pattern Play Revolution (round)
These variations are great, but please have your child start with the basic version first and complete at least most of those designs before advancing to the 3-D or “Revolution” version.
Benefits for Adults
The game can be quite relaxing. I’ve had several parents sit down and play it just for the sense of calm and order it brings. Feel free to play it yourself while stuck supervising your tantruming child or when trying to wind down after another demanding day. You could even do a pattern while watching a TV show before bed.
Remember that brain games are healthy. While it may feel like a privilege, play and education are daily needs, so please give brain games as often as your child is safe enough to make an attempt at them.
Enjoy!