THIS GAME IS GOOD FOR KIDS WHO NEED HELP WITH:

Flexibility

Adapting and adjusting to changing conditions and expectations.

Flexibility skills are called for in TinkerBox HD when looking at a problem and/or a tool from different angles (literally) and also switching metal gears between levels where goals are different each time. One level may focus on pressing buttons, another will challenge the player to get X number of balls into the basket or push a box over the edge. Accomplishing these goals requires different ways of problem solving and even different tools/elements. Kids will have to experiment with a variety of methods - perhaps a conveyor belt will provide the momentum needed, or maybe simply dropping a ball with create enough force. Even when an element -- a spring platform, for instance -- is placed in the correct area, it may need to be tilted sideways or lifted higher in order to send the ball in the correct trajectory. To complicate things further, not all the tools and materials provided are necessary to accomplish a given goal. Players must remain mentally flexible in order to consider a variety of solutions to a particular problem.

Planning

Developing a systematic approach for setting and achieving goals.

Successfully completing a level in TinkerBox HD requires a lot of planning. First, players must visualize how a level will play out. Then they will use a step-by-step process of evaluation, construction, and adjustment before a level is complete. It's a good idea for the player to hit play and watch the level unfold before adding any elements or manipulating anything. This allows them to see the flow and direction of a level, and how the moving components move. The next step is to see which elements are available and where they might be placed. The final creation is a lot like dominoes or a Rube Goldberg machine; the player has arranged items in such a way as to create a sequence wherein one action must jump start another. The player will need to tweak or rearrange the elements (higher, lower, a little more to the side, this one where that one is, etc) a few times before a goal is accomplished. Solving these puzzles enhances a child's ability to conceptualize a multi-layered process.