Most people think of small children when they think of playing with wooden blocks, but Timberdoodle’s Shape Makers game is not designed for preschoolers.
What is Shape Makers?
Shape Maker is an independent player game that 1-4 players can play at a time. It includes over 20 different patterns and four player boards. The patterns show what a block shape looks like as a 2-D shape or shadow from the front and side, and players build a tower to match.s
How Do You Play Shape Makers?
To begin, choose a pattern. Find both patterns with the same number and place them on your wooden board. The patterns fit standing up into slots on the wooden board, creating a 90-degree angle. The patterns are numbered and start easy, then get progressively more complicated.
Next, the player begins placing wooden blocks on the board to match the shapes. It is more complicated than it sounds because you need to get the front and side correct, and that sometimes means multiple levels, one part of the build being taller than another, or blocks with holes being turned a certain way.
Then the player checks to make sure that the profiles match the 2-D pictures.
No instructions are included in the package, but it is fairly self-explanatory, and Timberdoodle has some great tips on its site!
Our Experience with Shape Makers
Both my eight- and twelve-year-olds wanted to try this game out and really enjoyed it. The two-year-old thought he should also play with the blocks, but he is not ready to actually play the game (though you might have preschoolers play a modified version where they lay blocks out onto the pattern boards to match just one side).
It took a few false starts to figure out how to match both sides of the figure, but once they had the concept down, it was a very independent game. They also decided to use flashlights to make shadows of their block towers to double-check their creations since there was no answer key (and mostly because they love flashlights).
I loved that while they could play independently, there were enough materials for them to play at the same time, but it didn’t necessarily have to be competitive. We enjoy competitive games, but sometimes they get a little too competitive.
What are the Benefits of Shape Makers?
Shape Makers is an educational game that works on spatial reasoning. It can also encourage perseverance, as players must move and rethink placements to make them all work together.
The game incorporates multiple areas of intelligence, including visual and spatial, logical and mathematical, and body and movement.
It is a quiet game that can be played by one player or up to four players. It does not require reading or technology.
Who Would Enjoy Shape Makers?
This game is for many ages. It is recommended for ages 5+, and I think that is fairly accurate for the game as designed.
I think younger students could use the components to practice matching by placing blocks on the 2-D images. This might be especially beneficial for families with multiple ages, with younger children who want to participate with their older siblings.
It is a quiet game, great for giving children something to do independently for a few minutes. Stored neatly in a small box (a little larger than a deck of cards), it is a great game to take with you, though to play you do need enough space to lay out the nine suspect tiles.
Overall Thoughts
Shape Makers from Timberdoodle is a fun, easy game for building spatial reasoning skills and logic without it feeling like work. It is a quick, low-stress, low-prep game that people of all ages can play and enjoy. You can find out more and get your game at Timberdoodle.
FAQs
What ages is this game for?
The company recommends ages 5+, and I would say at least five, as the game is designed, but it can also be modified for younger children.
How Many Players?
This is a single-player game, with enough materials for up to four players at a time.
Does the game require reading?
No, this game does not involve reading.
