3 Ways to Use PicassoTiles to Encourage STEM Learning
PicassoTiles are the new favorite toy in our house! Camden was gifted this 60 piece set, and from the moment we got it out for the first time, it’s been a hit. We keep them in his room, and he pulls us down to his room, saying ‘bock? bock?’ because he’s so excited to play with his blocks. It’s adorable, and it makes me so, so grateful for the chance to try them out!
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We’ve been playing with them for a couple weeks now, and I’ve noticed that we’re finding uses for them that go above and beyond building. So I wanted to share with you the ways we use our PicassoTiles and how they are encouraging STEM learning opportunities with our toddler.
3 Ways to Use PicassoTiles to Encourage STEM Learning
Building with PicassoTiles
Obviously Camden builds with his PicassoTiles. They’re magnetic, so they are easy for a toddler to stack in piles. But the magnets have enough give that they’re easy for his little fingers to pull them apart as well. Since he is just learning to stack and build, he’s not building castles yet, but Andrew and I make buildings and Camden has a great time knocking them down!
Building is a great STEM activity that requires no support from me. If I choose to play with him, that’s great. But he can lead his building exploration on his own while I’m doing something else too.
Sorting
By shape – Camden was actually the one who initiated the sorting activities with his tiles. He noticed the different shapes and began sticking them all together. His favorites are the squares; he loves how they stack and fit in his hands. And while he doesn’t know the names of the shapes yet – and it’s not something I’m pushing, although I do tell him what they’re called each time he stacks them – he knows that some are the same and some are different.
By color – Camden does know his colors, and he loves to hold up a tile and tell the color name. So these tiles are great for asking him to find all of the blue tiles or all of the green tiles, etc. And for a child who doesn’t know her color names yet, this makes the perfect learning opportunity to help identify colors.
By shape AND color – The great thing about these PicassoTiles is that they grow with your child. As he learns to sort by color and by shape, you can introduce sorting by color AND shape both. Have him find all the green shapes, and then sort out the green squares and green triangles. You can also have him sort the big and small triangles and squares apart as well.
Science
On one of the first nights that Camden was playing with these magnetic blocks, he took one of the large squares, squished it up against his face and shouted, “Hello!” And then he realized he could see the whole room in a different color by looking through the tile. Soon after that, he was holding up different blocks in different colors to his face and shrieking in delight that his world was a different color. Have you ever seen those color paddles that elementary schools use in science? These work the same – put the red and blue squares together, look through them and see the world in purple!
Overall Thoughts
We LOVE our PicassoTiles! We were gifted the basic 60 piece set, but I can’t wait to add to Camden’s collection. There are so many different sets – one with numbers or letters, ones that glow in the dark, a Ferris wheel set, and more! Grab a set for your child for Christmas – and if they love it, you’ve got their gift covered for the next holiday too. Just buy them an additional set and you’re good to go.
I think PicassoTiles are a fabulous way to encourage STEAM and imaginative learning in your child. Plus, we’ve found that these are a great toy to take to family get together when we headed to a house that doesn’t have kid toys. All the kids love to share them and play with them.
Ashley Lavoie
I love Camden’s face as he plays with these! Definitely putting this on our Christmas list for the kids – I think kids of various ages, like mine, can enjoy these together!