Just before our trip to South Dakota, Melanie from Grids for Kids contacted me and asked if we’d be willing to review Level 1 and Level 2 of Grids for Kids logic puzzle books. A quick search told me what I suspected: logic puzzles boost brain activity, help memory and processing speed, and improve concentration. Besides being highly entertaining, puzzles give the brain a workout and provide lasting benefits. Before Melanie’s email, I was completely unfamiliar with the logic puzzle concept, but it looked like it would be fun – and it was!
Melanie suggested that we print out pages from
Grids for Kids and put them in page protectors. That way, the kids could work them with dry erase markers, and then they could be erased for the next kid to work the same puzzle without having to reprint. We did that, and took a whole bunch of puzzles with us on our trip. The van was quiet for a long time, kids occupied with their puzzles. The older four of my children, ages 8, 9, 11, and 13 all loved them. They jumped into Level 1 without issue, but the instructions were pretty helpful for Level 2. The tutorial that accompanies each level is really helpful and the kids were able to understand the instructions and then do the puzzles on their own. Perfect! All the information needed to solve the puzzles is in the “story” at the top, followed by a grid with labels to work the puzzle. The pages are black and white and simple, saving on ink consumption. I love that!
Grids for Kids began with Melanie and her husband Brian couldn’t find logic grid books for their oldest daughter. They have now written four levels, with each level containing 30 puzzles, with five puzzle types in each, ordered by difficulty. Each level contains a tutorial section. There are supplements for the first three levels with 30 more puzzles each – more puzzles at the same level, but the supplements do not include tutorials. Level 1 is recommended for age 8, and Levels 2 and up come with the age recommendation for about age 9. Kids 7-11 are said to enjoy them – but my 13 year old loved them as well, though she did work them quite quickly. It starts at the very beginning and teaches from the ground up, so even a beginner can learn to solve the puzzles.
You can find more information (and try some sample puzzles) here.
Grids for Kids are so super affordable! The Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 are each $3.00. The supplements are $1.50. Each comes as a PDF downloadable format so you may print the puzzle as often as needed for your family or if you are a teacher, for one classroom. My kids have reworked more than one, just because they’re fun! We loved working through these puzzles, and are so thankful for the introduction to logic grid puzzles. Spending free time doing productive fun is great for our homeschool and kid entertainment in general!
You can find Grids for Kids on Facebook.
I received Level 1 and Level 2 of Grids for Kids free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are solely mine and those of my children.
