Learning is a never-ending and complicated process which requires different approaches depending on the age of the person. While some people may dispute it, a number of development psychology researchers firmly believe that when it comes to toddlers and children knowledge is most easily absorbed when it is presented in the form of a game.

After all, one doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to conclude that learning is much easier, useful and pleasant when it also manages to be fun. With that line of thinking in mind, a company by the name of MindWare decided to manufacture educational puzzle toys for small children who are only getting started with the learning process.

A Brief Overview of the MindWare Imaginets

One of the most popular MindWare toys are the Imaginets which can be basically described as magnetic building blocks of various shapes and sizes… something like simplified LEGOs. There are 42 brightly colored magnetic blocks and they were designed to engage children in an activity which promotes creativity as they are encouraged not only to complete the fifty design challenges but also to come up with their own unique creations.

Apart from the building blocks themselves there is also a magnetic surface which can also be used as a dry erase board, which only serves to further stimulate children as they are encouraged to expand their creation through the use of a background.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the wooden box in which everything comes is relatively durable, coming with reliable hinges as well as a rope which was designed specifically for small hands.

How the Imaginets Contribute to Child Development

While the Imaginets can certainly be fun from a child’s perspective, are they indeed as educational as they claim to be? Well, to start things off let’s take a look at what the game demands from the child.

Simply put, it requires children match different shapes and colors and various angles in order to solve a myriad of different challenges. Also, as was mentioned earlier, the game also places a lot of emphasis on creativity as it heavily encourages the child to stray from the pre-rendered designs in order to do expand their imagination.

Apart from developing a child’s motor skills, this toy also serves to teach children spatial and color recognition, two concepts without which navigating in this world becomes difficult. Consequently, it actually stimulates the child’s brain in completely new ways, which is pretty much how learning occurs.

What People Say About Imaginets

First of all, it should be mentioned that MindWare, the company behind Imaginets, is a legitimate BBB-accredited business which provides a 100% satisfaction guarantee for every product they promote, meaning if you are not happy with a product you can return it any time you want to for a full refund based on the purchase price.

In addition to that, they have actually been in business since 1990 when they started out as a small business; if they managed to keep expanding for more than two decades, the chances of them being untrustworthy are practically nonexistent.

As far as the Imaginets themselves go one simply needs to take a look at the available Amazon reviews to get a picture of the public opinion. Out of the 41 reviews, 33 gave it 5 stars while the remaining 8 people gave it 4 stars… which is quite amazing considering even the most popular products manage to get some bad reviews.

The general consensus is that the Imaginets magnetic blocks are the perfect child development toy from every perspective, as they are fun, challenging, and very stimulating for the younger minds.

Our Verdict

All in all, we believe that the Imaginets magnetic blocks are a very good toy for children aged from three up until five or six. They manage to actually be both fun and educational at the same time, there are absolutely no negative reviews about it and you can even return it for a full refund if it doesn’t live up to your expectations.
In the end, the approach used by Imaginets does work and hasn’t given cause for concern so far.

We found that the best place to buy MindWare Imaginets is Amazon as they can be found there at a 25% discount for only $22.54. If you would like to purchase them, simply click on link below to visit MindWare Imaginets page.
 

Hello! I imagine that if you got this page, then you’re curious to know how you can be sure that the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read actually works. It’s a perfectly reasonable thing to ask, especially considering that you only have one chance to get it right.

Luckily, the folk behind Hooked on Phonics don’t expect you to trust them blindly… and so they’ve released verifiable official statements about their program.

How the Hooked on Phonics Approach was Developed

First of all, they declared that the techniques and approach to learning are all based on current findings from studies about how children learn to read. Instead of simply going for old, time-tested methods they prefer to turn their attention to the latest scientific findings on phonics, phonemic awareness, oral language, alphabetic knowledge and print awareness.

To be a bit more precise, their program works progressively from letters to sounds, to words, to sentences, and finally reading fluency. It’s a very gradual method that is designed to keep challenging your child just enough to allow them to consistently progress and build their confidence.

Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read use an approach they refer to as learn-practice-play, and it basically works in three steps: first they learn new concepts, they practice them until they are mastered, and finally they play phonics games or read books that reinforce that knowledge.

What did they base the development of their program on? Well, apart from basing themselves on the latest scientific findings as I mentioned it earlier, they also claim to have been working closely with many parents, teachers and even children’s authors… that’s what I call going the extra mile.

Also, the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read has allegedly been tested not only by parents and teachers, but also by kids themselves in order to make sure it lives up to its own hype.

The Main Goal of the Hooked on Phonics Method

The method was developed to provide children with an individualized approach to learning, an approach that will adapt itself to the aptitude of the child. With the concepts and exercises being neatly categorized into various levels based on difficulty, you can easily choose to work on the activities in which your child is lacking.

The people behind the program understand that children of different ages all have different needs, which is a consideration that can make a big difference in how well the child learns.

According to the founders of the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program, their approach which consists of exposing children to varied reading materials is a necessary step to slowly and carefully unwind the child’s abilities and have him or her blossom.

According to the researches they based themselves on, a child who understand show sounds make up words is better and interpreting the words, not to mention reading them.

What Other People Say About the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program

I won’t spend too much time with this, but I believe it doesn’t hurt to know what results people obtained from this program. For example, Sarah from Sarah Reviews says that her kids “wanted to do “lessons” twice a day. My kids can read now. I’m not kidding[…]They can sound words out. Neither of them could do that three weeks ago ”.

To reiterate the point, in only three weeks the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program allegedly allowed her to teach her children how to pronounce words, and even read an eight-page book called “Cat”.

Do I Believe the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Program Works?

Well, to make a long story short, yes I believe that the Hooked on Phonics system does indeed work. Why do I believe that? Well, first of all I actually tried it for myself and obtained some very impressive results,

I can’t really expect you take my word for it just like that. However, I should remind you that the method used in this system was developed through meticulous scientific research and opinions given by parents, educators, and children’s author books.

In order for us to be able to truly progress, we need to be willing to set the old methods aside and try some newer and more promising ones that were developed with modern knowledge. The education sector is one of those which has remained old-school longer than pretty much anything else, and is in need of change, of a true overhaul.

As of now, it seems that the only people interested in making this kind of thing happen are the people behind Hooked on Phonics; they are doing their best year after year to develop ways for children to learn faster.

If you are interested in learning about my experience with the system, then simply check out my Hooked on Phonics review.

If on the other hand you would like to try the Hooked on Phonics program for yourself, simply follow this link.