Large Perfect blocks in a sociotherapeutic day room

For two months, our largest set from the PERFECT line was used to play with children visiting the Caritas Sociotherapy Center of the Archdiocese of Warsaw at Okopowa Street.

The blocks were available all afternoon in a designated play area. Together with the set for the common room, we delivered instructions and catalogs (because catalogs also contain a lot of inspiration!).

The purpose of this action was the next stage of testing a relatively new product on the market. First of all, we wanted to find out how children older than preschoolers, who largely play in the common room alone, i.e. without an animator or teacher, deal with the instructions. Secondly, we really wanted the opinion of professionals who work with children and teenagers on a daily basis - we wanted to find out what they think about our blocks and how they perceive our product from the point of view of playing with children.

The Caritas Sociotherapy Center is a place where children come after classes and can stay until the evening. They do their homework there, then play. Such an institution functions in many ways similar to a school common room. However, older kids come here, even fourteen-year-olds, and there are also psychologists and therapists on site.

 

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Foam blocks for special tasks

While the set was in the common room, we went there with a camera to personally see the big blocks in action. Although the space for this activity turned out to be small, the children managed without any problems, built with enthusiasm, and left unfinished works aside to be dealt with the next day.

We immediately noticed that the older children had followed the instructions from the beginning, sticking to a specific building plan. The younger children mainly implemented their own ideas. Despite the age difference, there was an atmosphere of cooperation and support in the group. The older ones helped the younger ones, and the younger ones prepared the elements.

There were also withdrawn people in the group. They could not or did not want to join in the fun with others. However, they operated at an equally high speed, erecting buildings on their own. Their constructions often attracted the attention of others. Then the children established a relationship, exchanged sentences, sometimes asked questions, and so from word to word even the most isolated people found their place in the group.

Expert opinions about Perfect blocks

A longer observation was carried out by a psychologist working on site, Mrs. Joanna Zaręba, and Aleksandra Pacholik - the manager, who is also a psychologist and sociotherapist. The opinions of both ladies are presented below.

Aleksandra Pacholik - Head of the Sociotherapy Center, Psychologist, Sociotherapist

Mammutico blocks are an unusual form for active and creative spending of free time for children in the age group: 6-13 years. They have a simple structure, are flexible and pleasant to the touch. The foam material from which they are made affects the sensory motor skills of children by regulating muscle tension and practicing the precision of movements.

Free play with large elements supports the development of creative thinking and creativity. The blocks worked very well both in individual and group work. During individual play, the children supplemented the work with subsequent elements with great care. Using the instructions, they additionally acquired the skills of analysis and logical thinking by analogy.

Building with Mammutico blocks worked great in a group. Creating something from non-standard blocks was an ideal opportunity to freely establish new relationships between the participants of the game and to learn cooperation - discussing the action plan, dealing with difficulties. An interesting creative form attracted many children to play. Thanks to this, we had the opportunity to work together and discuss the difficulties that arose in mutual relations during this activity. This, in turn, allowed children to acquire new emotional and social competences and to build a positive self-image as a causative and effective individual.

Playing with Mammutico is extremely valuable for children with emotional difficulties. For withdrawn and shy people, big blocks allow them to feel more confident by increasing their sense of competence. On the other hand, children with oppositional behavior can safely discharge their energy using foam elements that are soft and quiet.

Large blocks are multifunctional, they allow the construction of various structures. On the one hand, these are, for example, places where you can take shelter, relax and calm down, and on the other, everyday items or elements of clothing (shields, swords, armor). Perfect sets encourage kids to construct both original ideas and to learn how to create based on the attached instructions. The children built with great care and spontaneity, constructing really interesting projects: towers, bases, houses, etc. The size of the elements was very attractive to the children, which allowed them to create structures (e.g. vehicles) larger than themselves, which became a trigger for further fun home or riding a scooter.

 

Joanna Zaręba - Child and youth psychologist

Mammutico blocks are an interesting proposition for both younger children and more experienced and demanding teenagers. Perfect sets consist of identical elements that can be combined in a number of ways. The set comes with a booklet, which contains instructions for building specific figures. Thanks to this, children develop construction skills and spatial thinking, improving the left hemisphere of the brain. They can also invent their own creations, expanding their creativity, which at the same time strengthens the right hemisphere.

During playing, participants improve their motor coordination and physical fitness by putting strength into matching the elements. Those who play with the blocks have the opportunity to temporarily release the tension by pressing the soft and pleasant to the touch elements. Children praise the flexibility of the material, which is interesting and satisfying for them.

Due to the large number of elements and the size of the blocks, you can quickly build a platform on which you can just lie down and rest. All this can serve to strengthen the sensory integration with which so many young people now have problems.

The blocks are pleasant to the touch, which draws the attention of many people. They also have eye-pleasing colors, combined in an interesting, contrasting way (warm yellow and gray). It is worth remembering that yellow favors concentration of attention, and gray calms and calms down.

Another advantage of the blocks is the fact that they are "quiet" while playing. While more and more children complain about being overstimulated by noise (especially in school common rooms), playing with large and light blocks seems to be calming down. These blocks make virtually no sound even when a tall structure falls onto the floor.

Undoubtedly, the strength of the material is also a big advantage. Our kids used Perfect bricks for a long time and intensively, and yet no damage was visible on them.

It is also an interesting proposition for spending free time among adults. Assembling the figures contained in the instructions attached to the set is so complicated that it will be an interesting and original challenge for people of all ages.

This product is an alternative and interesting proposal to work for the whole group. Thanks to such blocks, you can practice cooperation to finally achieve a common, pre-determined goal. This, in turn, makes these blocks ideal for social skills training and sociotherapy classes.