Item-No. 23614

Tandem Boards

To develop: - fine motor control skills / dexterity

- perception of forms of movement

- linguistic expression

- imagination / concentration

Age: 4 +

Players: 1- 5

Contents: 1 wooden box

5 wooden boards with different patterns

(spirals, meandering spirals, hearts, labyrinth, meandering tracks)

10 knobs

Game idea: Dialogform, Weimar

Reading and writing are important basic skills to be able to manage in today’s communication society. However, a lot of children have difficulty acquiring these skills although the requirements for learning to read and write, i.e. hand-eye co-ordination, fine motor skills and the ability to concentrate can be trained at an early age with simple exercises.

Background and purpose:

There’s no question about it: movement loosens and exercises the muscles, puts you in good humour and encourages the flow of thought – it therefore has a positive effect on our physical, intellectual and psychological wellbeing. New scientific findings and alternative therapies today increasingly regard the body and spirit as one integrated, coherent entity. Accordingly, specific movement and relaxation games (e.g. in kinesiology) help children overcome learning blocks and dyslexia.

One familiar exercise from this field is the “horizontal eight", and this pattern is reconstructed by the body in many varieties of movement, which promotes physical and mental co-operation.

The tandem boards animate children to do parallel hand movements, thereby training fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination, which are important for writing and painting. It also simultaneously develops concentration and close observation because, particularly where the more complex patterns are concerned, the hands will be able to arrive at the destination more quickly and more smoothly if the “route” has been planned in advance already.

After a little practice, the movements become more fluid and the harmonious sequence produces a pleasant relaxing feeling.

The feeling of success felt by the child as he manages to form an even spiral circle with both hands simultaneously encourages the child to continue and motivates him to take the next tandem board.

How does it work?

The game consists of a total of five boards, each with two milled-out mirror symmetric figures. The knobs have a pin underneath to guide them through the groove. In addition, they have a depression (finger hole) on top and so you can move them either with just one finger or with several fingers.

The individual boards have ascending levels of difficulty from the spiral, which is the easiest, to the meandering groove, which is the most difficult.

First, you move along the groove in question with one hand, from the outside inwards and back again. Then, you do the same with your other hand.

It is easier to use a few fingers (illustration A). Using just one finger (illustration B) on the knob requires much more concentration.

(picture of spiral) The spiral is the starting element and quite easy because it involves a regular and round movement.

(picture of meander spiral) In the meandering spiral you might falter now and then:

the course is straight but the corners always demand a change in direction.

(picture of labyrinth) The labyrinth gets quite tricky: at the same time as following the main movement from outside inwards, the direction changes regularly from the right to the left and back again. You have to pay very close attention. Be careful one of your hands doesn’t get stuck.

(picture of meander) There are two possibilities for the meandering patterns: you can start with both hands moving in the same direction or have them moving in opposite directions, i.e. using mirror-inverted movements. The many corners and changes in direction make the whole task quite tricky.

Have a lot of fun and relaxation!

beleduc Lernspielwaren GmbH

Heinrich-Heine-Weg 2

D-09526 Olbernhau