Minds in Bloom

By Rachel Lynette

Higher Level Thinking and Your Coffee Table

Most families keep books or odds and ends at their coffee table. Why not make your coffee table a place for a little bit of higher level thinking? These games make great additions to your coffee table for your own family and guests to play.

Big, expensive books with pretty pictures are nice, but they don’t engage your brain all that much. Consider some of these alternatives for your coffee table.

Most families keep books or odds and ends at their coffee table. Why not make your coffee table a place for a little bit of higher level thinking? These games make great additions to your coffee table for your own family and guests to play.

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Tangram Puzzles: 500 Tricky Shapes to Confound & Astound Puzzles are always a good thing, and tangrams are great for improving those spatial skills. The shapes are challenging, but not impossible, to solve and since there are only seven pieces, you aren’t likely to lose any.

Most families keep books or odds and ends at their coffee table. Why not make your coffee table a place for a little bit of higher level thinking? These games make great additions to your coffee table for your own family and guests to play.

Another great puzzle is the Soma Cube. This 3-D puzzle can be made into a variety of different shapes. These puzzles are usually harder than the Tangram, but if you persist, you will get better at solving them. If you want a fun project to do with your child, here are instructions for making one.

 

Most families keep books or odds and ends at their coffee table. Why not make your coffee table a place for a little bit of higher level thinking? These games make great additions to your coffee table for your own family and guests to play.
If you want your family and guests to get playful and creative, consider Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith. In this fun little book, you are encouraged to do all kinds of fun and rebellious things, such as poking holes in pages, drawing all over the cover, spilling things on pages, cutting, tearing, and more. We keep a copy on our coffee table and encourage guests to contribute.

 

Most families keep books or odds and ends at their coffee table. Why not make your coffee table a place for a little bit of higher level thinking? These games make great additions to your coffee table for your own family and guests to play.
Want to get a discussion started? Try the Chat Pack: Fun Questions to Spark Conversations. Guests and family members of all ages enjoy picking a card and answering the question. If you have smaller kids, you might consider getting the Chat Pack for Kids.
 Most families keep books or odds and ends at their coffee table. Why not make your coffee table a place for a little bit of higher level thinking? These games make great additions to your coffee table for your own family and guests to play.
Similarly, if you prefer a book format, consider The Kids’ Book of Questions: Revised for the New Century. I have used the older version of this book for years with my students and my own children. Really interesting questions to ponder.

 

Most families keep books or odds and ends at their coffee table. Why not make your coffee table a place for a little bit of higher level thinking? These games make great additions to your coffee table for your own family and guests to play.
If you are looking for a game, consider SET Game. Everyone plays at once during SET. Players must find sets of three cards using the attributes on each card. The game is quite challenging, yet kids as young as six can learn it.
Most families keep books or odds and ends at their coffee table. Why not make your coffee table a place for a little bit of higher level thinking? These games make great additions to your coffee table for your own family and guests to play.

And finally, if you want to put food on your coffee table, I suggest mixed nuts that are still in the shell. This is a great snack because it is healthy, discourages mindless eating since you have to work to get the nut out of the shell, and engages the brain a bit since each nut is, in a way, its own small puzzle.  Just remember the nutcracker and an extra bowl for shells.

Rachel Lynette Teachers Pay Teachers

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