The geometric train puzzle represents an amazing alternative among construction puzzles in a 2D form.

The child’s goal is to assemble 33 wooden details of the train puzzle on the board and off the board (in a free form). The smart activity develops attention, memory, logical thinking and fine motor skills. Moreover, the child learns:

– parts of the train: wheels, train cars/wagons, engine, chimney, windows, buffer, couplers
– basic shapes: square, circle, oval/ellipse, triangle, rectangle
– basic colours: blue, green, yellow, red
– and basic counting skills: 5 wagons, 5 windows, 11 wheels, etc.

How to increase interactivity with the geometric train puzzle (part 1):

1. The Game “Journey”. Invite your child to go on a journey on a steam train and put together a jigsaw puzzle. Clarify that at the head of the train is a locomotive, to which the wagons are attached. Each wagon has a window of a particular shape and colour. Count all the wagons. Note that both sides of the plywood can be used.

2. Play “Geometry”. Assemble a steam train and name shapes of the windows of each wagon. Take all the windows out of the carriages and place them on the table. Ask the child to close his/her eyes and trace the contour of a window with his/her finger, then ask to choose an appropriate shape and close the window.

3. Play “Assemble the Train”. Invite the child to name parts that make up the locomotive and carriages (chimney, wheels, windows, roofs). Pay attention to the colour of each part.

4. “Logic Steam Train”. Let the child put together the train puzzle by following your oral instructions. For example, it has two wagons with a red window and a red roof. One wagon with a yellow window, a yellow roof and the next one with a green window and a blue roof. For older children, suggest the following option: the first wagon should have neither blue nor green windows, and the second one should have neither yellow nor red roofs, etc.

How to increase interactivity with the geometric train puzzle (part 2):

5. The Artist Game. Trace geometric shapes on a white piece of paper and ask to “turn” (finish drawing) each shape into an object. For example, turn a circle into the sun, a square into a house, an oval into a little man, etc.

6. The Game “Memorise”. Ask the child to memorise your pre-determined sequence of the wooden train. Either on the board or in a free form. While the child’s eyes are closed, rearrange the sequence. Now, encourage the child to find the mistake.

7. The Tactile Game “Guess the Window”. Invite the child to assemble the steam train, take all the windows out of the carriages and put them into a bag. Now, ask the child to feel and find a window for the first carriage, the last carriage, the third carriage etc. You may as well be more precise and request to pick a window with a certain shape.

Age: 3 years
Size of the wooden board: 20 x 28 cm
Material: high-quality plywood with eco-friendly paints