Brain Flakes brand discs are a new construction toy that teaches children spatial thinking and lets their imaginations run wild! Each jar comes with 500 colorful, quarter-sized discs that easily click together for ages 5+ (some children as young as 3 have no problem).
These interlocking plastic connector pieces come in a sturdy jar made of safe and tested polyethylene. Engineers Start Here!
Build anything you want!
Brainflakes are a great way to help kids develop their spatial intelligence and thinking. The flat, quarter-sized discs snap together by notches and allow kids to build anything they can imagine. They are ideal for children aged five and above and come in a jar of 500 bright-colored discs made from safe and tested polyethylene.
The notches are designed to snap into each other in different ways so that the resulting structures can be stacked and turned to create new shapes. There is no end to the possibilities, which can range from an elephant to a whole garden or even a spaceship! They also provide a fun and educational opportunity to practice counting, as the children can build things out of their favorite numbers.
In addition to developing their spatial skills, brain flakes can also help to improve hand-eye coordination and dexterity. These are essential aspects for kids to have as they grow up to become successful adults. In fact, the more they practice these skills, the better their chances are of succeeding in a variety of fields, including STEM careers.
Another great thing about brain flakes is that they are safe and non-toxic, which makes them perfect for children to play with. They are also BPA, lead, and heavy metal free. This makes them an excellent option for a child’s first engineering toy.
While there are a lot of different brands of brainflakes out there, they all basically work the same way. The only difference is in the color and design of the pieces. Some are more rounded, while others have sharper edges. The most important thing is to find one that is safe and easy for your child to play with.
Brainflakes are a great way to teach number bonds to 10. For example, you can give each of the colors a value from 1-10 and get your pupils to show how they make 10 with them. They can also use them to help with multiplication by showing how they can add two numbers together using different colors.
Develops spatial intelligence and thinking
Spatial intelligence is the ability to think about spatial relations – the relative location of 2D or 3D objects. This allows us to move, rotate, or transform things mentally. For example, a child might use visual-spatial intelligence to identify a shape hidden in a line of blocks. Or a student might apply spatial thinking to a paper folding task by closing their eyes, looking at a picture of a prism, and then trying to fold the paper into that shape.
Studies show that spatial abilities develop early in childhood. Children who have more vital visuospatial skills tend to perform better in math classes (Zhang et al. 2014; Gilligan et al. 2017) and are more likely to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines and careers (Wai et al. 2013).
Parents can help their kids build spatial intelligence. One study found that preschoolers whose parents used more spatial language (such as between, above, and near) performed better on spatial tests than those whose parents did not use such vocabulary. This was true even after controlling for overall parental language input, suggesting that talking in spatial terms specifically improves spatial learning.
Playing with building toys is another good way to strengthen spatial abilities. You can buy specially designed building toys such as Lego and wooden blocks or just use any flat, quarter-sized objects that are easy to stack. Research suggests that block building is even more effective when the activity has a storytelling context or when kids are given a problem to solve.
Another fun activity to practice spatial intelligence is playing a 3-D, first-person shooter action video game. Studies have shown that students who play these games for only a few hours a week improve their performance on visuospatial rotation and mental paper-folding tasks. These improvements are maintained for months after training. In one experimental design, boys outperformed girls on these tests at the beginning of the study, but after just eight weekly sessions, the sex differences disappeared.
Reading maps is another excellent way to improve spatial skills because it forces children to think about multiple locations and their relation to each other in a new way. Also, a recent meta-analysis shows that music listening — including classical music — is also associated with improved spatial skills. This might be because listening to music encourages children to attend to more details, a necessary skill for spatial reasoning tasks.
Countless design possibilities
Brain Flakes are a simple and fun building toy with endless design possibilities. The idea is that kids can build anything they want while developing spatial intelligence and thinking. It is a confidence builder and a great way to learn STEM fundamentals. Kids are challenged to see what they can create, but once you start adding more and more discs, the floodgates open for endless creativity. Each set includes 500 bright-colored, flat, quarter-sized interlocking plastic discs that snap together by notches. The pieces come in a durable plastic jar for easy storage.
Ages 5+. For more information, visit http://www.brainflake.com/.
Engineers Start Here
The brand mission for Brain Flakes is Engineers Start Here, enabling the world’s next generation of engineers through confidence building and spatial learning. Our founder discovered these quarter-sized interlocking discs while in China, and the name was inspired by how they reminded him of Bran Flakes! These 500 brightly colored discs snap together by notches and allow kids to build anything their imaginations can dream up. While creating their amazing inventions, kids naturally develop critical thinking, talent, and visual-spatial skills. The possibilities grow with each new disc-connection snap!
PLEASE NOTE: This toy contains small parts and is a choking hazard for children under three years old. It is recommended for children ages 3+. Adult supervision is required. This toy should not be used on unstable surfaces, as it may break.
