Supporting Your Struggling Child

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The Perplexus Original

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"Easy to play. Hard to master."

This is a quote taken from the back of the box. And my family agrees. The Perplexus Maze Original
is a maze ball around the size of a basketball. It is meant for children six and older. (They make the
Perplexus Rookie too, which is for younger children.) It has a little silver ball that the player tries to move around on a track without letting it fall. It is colorful and inviting; making children want to pick it up immediately. (I'll admit, the grownups like it too.) It is portable and quiet, making it easy to bring on trips. It sells for approximately $25, however, I have been able to find it for about $15.

Ideally, you would want to buy this game for children over six. It requires that a child be able to count up to 100. The directions on the box are in three languages, English, Spanish, and French; but any child who can read numbers can play it. This puzzle is fun for all types of kids. However, since it is challenging, you would want to monitor the frustration level. My nine year old son has Asperger's Syndrome and he had approximately the same frustration level that my five year old son had. They both kept having to start over and would get mad. Then, they would pick it back up again and start over. They literally could not put it down! "I have to do this mom!"

At first when we got the box, we didn't read the directions and just started moving it around. I then picked up the box and read the directions on the back. It was then that we realized that you needed to count in a certain order. My older son, immediately liked it better when I told him this. My 5 year old still prefers to play it without the numbers (fine with me.) I tried to play it too, but the numbers were hard for this old lady to read. Once I moved into better light, I found this game to be really fun. 

I then began to wonder what would happen once my sons mastered it. Would it then collect dust? So, I went to the Perplexus webpage. I was happy to discover that there were several ideas for both single player and multi-players; as well as Freestyle. It's nice to know that I will be able to teach my kids other ways to play.

As a mom of a special needs child, I would recommend this product for several reasons. First, it is easy to use and does not require major gross motor skills. Even my toddler was able to move the little silver ball along the track for a little while. Second, the design of the ball makes it easy to hold. There is a little bar around the outside of the ball that serves as a handle. Furthermore, I especially like that it is mentally challenging; allowing the kids to work through their frustrations in a fairly controlled environment.

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