Mindbender help

[mommyoftwinboys]

Please help me with this problem. I give my kids Mindbender puzzles 2x a week. They have NEVER got one right the first go around...NEVER.

After I explain the pattern and explain the directions they sometimes understand, but never by handing them the paper and having them try and understand. I don't know if it's too much for them or if they are not really trying. I do notice they hand the paper back to me quickly and tell me it's super easy...and then proceed to get it wrong. So, I'm thinking maybe they aren't thinking it through...

I'm really frustrated and scared that they don't have *thinking* skills..does that make sense?

Please help...(they are both 8 and boys if that helps)

[Donna T.]

I'd put it away for awhile and try again. Some 8 year olds are ready for these type of puzzles and some aren't. It's just a developmental thing and has nothing to do with their intelligence. TWTM doesn't recommend them until 5th grade.

[mommyoftwinboys]

Thanks Donna for your reply.

I do have another question though...why does it have these type of logic problems starting in K then? Is there something I can do to help their logic and reasoning? They also have problems with word problems. They both can whiz through a math assignment, get every problem right, then get every word problem wrong..am I doing something wrong?

[lovemyboys]

I'm really frustrated and scared that they don't have *thinking* skills..does that make sense?

Please help...(they are both 8 and boys if that helps)

 

Don't think they're stupid! Have they ever done these before?

 

One ds here has great thinking skills but doesn't care for those sheets. Another one is excited when he sees them. He doesn't always get them right, but he tackles them with energy.

 

It doesn't sound like the sheets are a fit with your boys right now -- depending on which you're using, they may be a bit young. They may not feel confident about what they need to do. Perhaps if you worked through a couple together, not just explaining but actually working the whole problem (talking out loud as you go) it will help them soon do it on their own.

 

If that doesn't work, it doesn't mean you eliminate thinking skills in your days....you could look at the "problem" and set it up with manipulatives or as a real-world exercise. Or you could do things verbally. Granted it's not as easy for you. If you scan through the book, you could find things you can do as a conversation while you're driving or making dinner. As you discuss books, ask them for details that involve problem solving (when you see them) --you'll see your boys making the connections. And you're helping them develop those skills!

[mommyoftwinboys]

Thanks for your response-those are some great ideas.

I don't think my boys are stupid, I was just worried *I'm* not teaching them *how* to think, ywim?

[TracyP]

Thanks Donna for your reply.

I do have another question though...why does it have these type of logic problems starting in K then? Is there something I can do to help their logic and reasoning? They also have problems with word problems. They both can whiz through a math assignment, get every problem right, then get every word problem wrong..am I doing something wrong?

 

You are not doing anything wrong.:001_smile: These are only marketed to youngers because some kids LOVE them. I think pushing them will only make them frustrated perhaps undermining what you will expect them to do in 2-3 years. I bought one for my daughter for next year because I loved them when I was 7 or 8 but if she doesn't enjoy it or "get it" I will put it away.

[dsmith]

Ds wouldn't have been able to handle Mindbenders at that age. I just started them this year. He could do analogies, so we stuck with that. Perhaps try word or picture analogies if you aren't already?

[hsmom3tn]

When my kids were younger (K-2), we used some of these books for critical thinking:

 

http://www.rempub.com/Details.cfm?ProdId=4787&category=28

 

http://www.homeschoolchristian.com/curricula/reviews/primaryanalogies.php

 

This one was their favorite!!

http://www.rempub.com/Details.cfm?ProdId=3705&category=28#

[lovetobehome]

My almost 10yo can do them really well, we just started MindBenders a1/a2 a month ago. But my 7.5 yo DD is clueless...and I consider both to be very bright. I think the others are right....give it time...I think they are too much for young ones.

[Saille]

My oldest caught on to these immediately, but they made no sense to my daughter at all. I've used Are They Thinking? by Tin Man Press this year, and it's playful enough to engage her while still teaching logical and inferential thinking skills. We're going to move from there to Primarily Logic, which does eventually segue into Mindbenders-type puzzles. I think this route will work better for her.