How To Challenge Your Kids Over the Summer

June 14, 2020 0 By EngineerMommy

Thank you to Magformers and Creatto for providing the products featured in this post. This post contains affiliate links.

Ever heard of the “summer slide?” It’s a phenomenon, in which children can fall behind academically as a result of the lack of structured education during the summer. Well this year, the summer slide is compounded by a similar phenomenon known as the “Covid Slide.” Due to the coronavirus pandemic, students all over the country switched over to a remote learning format for several months. 

If you’re looking for a few fun, engaging toys that challenge your kids and help them sharpen their minds all summer long, keep reading. 

Magformers Kits 

This set uses 2D pieces that connect using magnets to create impressive 3D structures. The set comes with 4 squares, 8 triangles and 2 inner circle square shapes. My girls had a lot of fun building houses, towers, and a magic ball. While the set comes with an included guide to teach you how to build specific structures, it’s also a lot of fun to come up with your own creations. Charlotte was pretty proud of this little house she built. 

Not only is it a lot of fun to build structures using this set, it’s also an educationally enriching activity. Magformers helps to build critical thinking, fine motor skills and problem-solving ability. Sophia built this magic ball a few times. On her final attempt, we were timing her to see how quickly she can build it from scratch. She was working as attentively as possible and built it within one minute! 

For younger children, check out this Magformers set.

For older children, check out this Magformers set.

Creatto Kits

Each Creatto kit consists of two building components that weave together to form different creations. Once built, you can add a string of included LED lights to create a particularly beautiful piece of art. The set comes with building instructions and there are step-by-step building videos online as well. Sophia received the Unicorn Set and Charlotte received the Kitty set. 

The flexible plastic tiles that come in the set interlock with each other to create a durable structure. In addition to following the guide with specific building instructions, you could also create your own sculptures. The Creatto sets definitely engage a child’s fine motor skills, as interlocking the tiles together requires a fair amount of dexterity. Sophia has been working on the Ballerina, which is one of the building options in her Unicorn set. She will continue tomorrow but you can see how the ballerina form is coming together. 

I think these toys will continue to keep the kids entertained & challenged for weeks. If you have any fun, educational toys that your kids have been enjoying recently, leave them in the comments below. 


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