Very often imperceptible and seemingly insignificant things can do more for the development of intelligence than special purposeful actions. Learning by playing is the best way of education, easy and interesting. An example of this approach is any matchstick puzzle.
Why matches
Medicine and psychology unanimously declare the relationship of brain regions and biologically active points on different parts of the body. The hands in this case, namely the palms, are the zone of their greatest accumulation on the surface of the body. The phenomenon called fine motor skills is precisely the stimulation of brain activity by sorting out small objects.
But it's not just about touching hands on them, is it? A lot of absolutely identical objects in shape, length and width, color, attract by the fact that they give impetus to the imagination. After all, the matches themselves are practically neutral, dim and inexpressive. From them you can create combinations and compositions, group at your discretion. And then each match becomes meaningful, part of something whole.
How to put the garbage shown in the picture in the dustpan, shifting only two matches? But in fact, you need to shift only one match, and the other only slightly move to the right! This simplenot every adult will solve the puzzle with matches, but the difficulty may lie only in the wording of the task.
What does the method aim for
Puzzle games with matches are aimed at developing all kinds of thinking. An excellent training of figurative, logical and spatial thinking is the result of such an accessible and useful entertainment. Mindfulness and the ability to reflect are necessary conditions for successfully solving this type of problem.
In early childhood, when matches and puzzles with matches are not yet available to kids, inquisitive children can get answers to their questions from adults. Parents can resort to creating fairy tales from match figures. This prepares the child for the next stage of development and for the independence of logical reasoning.
Solving more complex puzzles becomes available with the further development of logical thinking. Roman Numeral Equality Puzzles are very popular:
VI - IV=IX
It is necessary to shift one match so that the equation becomes correct. There are two possible answers here:
1. V + IV=IX
2. VI + IV=X
Or even more difficult equality:
V - IV=VII
The answer is taking the root of unity:
V - IV=√I
What to look out for
It must be remembered that matches are quite a dangerous item for children in the absence of proper attention from adults. Like any small and sharp object, a match can becomecause injury to the ear, eye, or be accidentally swallowed. Therefore, safety briefing on the handling of matches should precede games or training with their use.
The possibility of variability is an important point in classes where matches are used (puzzles with matches). Answers do not have to be strictly fixed, although there are well-defined answers. Non-standard thinking, if the result is achieved, is allowed and even encouraged.
Expected result and indicators
You can use matches for intellectual entertainment and learning from the age of three, with the direct participation of an adult. Children of primary school age and teenagers are especially interested in such riddles and puzzles. This is where the competitive spirit comes into play and classes can be done in team form.
Puzzles like "create a figure" or "rearrange the match" are acceptable for a younger age, when the child is less diligent. Here, tasks are ideal where you need to rearrange several matches to achieve the opposite result. For example, the animal shown in the figure above, running or looking in a certain direction, can turn its head or run in the opposite direction when shifting matches. Everything is simple here: just swap the matches that form the head and tail.
More difficult puzzles with numbers and complex geometric shapes are more suitable for schoolchildren. Change Totalarithmetic operation or create a numerical value from a figure can only be familiar with numerical combinations or having developed logical thinking. For example, "9+0=6". To get the desired result, you need to shift only one match.
There are two possibilities here, as seen in the picture. You can shift the match in the first digit, 9, making a six out of it. Result: 6+0=6. And you can shift the match in the six after the equal sign, making a nine out of it. Result: 9+0=9.
Match-based games are universal. Such a match puzzle can be included in the home study program and used as elements of extracurricular activities. But it is impossible not to mention that since the popularity of match puzzles is growing again, mobile application developers have begun to offer them. So now you can train your intellect without looking up from your favorite device by installing a puzzle with matches on it, which is very important for the modern generation.
