3
Steps
Tips
• When you feel the child is ready to work with the activity cards, choose one of the
simple pattern cards to begin.
• Help the child to develop a strategy for working with the card. For example, on some
cards it is helpful to begin at the top of the card, or on the left, and then work space by
space and row by row.
• Encourage the child to pay close attention to the relative positions of the bolts by
counting the number of blank holes. You can help by asking questions such as, “What is
next to the yellow bolt?” “What is under the red bolt?” “What is above the green bolt?”
“How many blue bolts are there in that row?”
• As children gain more experience with making the patterns on the cards, introduce the
cards with more complex designs and the picture cards. You can also use the picture
cards to encourage language development by discussing the details in each picture, or
having a child tell you a story about the design they are working on.
Choose an activity card and
place it next to the board.
Count and place the right
number of colored bolts needed
for your selected card.
Drill the bolts into the board to
complete the pattern or shape.
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