Mosaics and learning to recognize and repeat patterns are important for early math literacy, and I haven't seen many games that introduce the concept more beautifully than Haba's Mosaik Puzzle Game.


Most of pattern games I've seen include various shaped pieces and a picture that you are supposed to recreate with your pieces; this is fine for some children, but Z doesn't like to be confined to those images so she usually discards the suggested images and goes with her imagination. She did this to some extent with this game - incorporating it with other blocks for play - but she also started to grasp the concept of repeating images to form a visual whole.


The inclusion of a box to frame it and to contain it is important. We have puzzle toys from other companies that didn't have a box and if we didn't store the pieces in a bag, they'd be scattered to the four corners of our house. The beech frame measures approximately 8.5" x 8.5" and has 28 brightly painted pieces. As with all HABA toys, paints are non-toxic, and the beechwood is well-sanded. Z spends some time at her grandmother's house and they really enjoyed playing with the set.


Grandma reports: "This toy was challenging and fun for both Z and I. And I have to admit I used up more than my fair share of time playing with it. I loved the beautiful and vibrant pieces that fit together to form mosaics." We love games that intrigue adults and compel adults to play and interact with the kids. I mean, let's face it, there's only so much fun an adult can have with Polly Pocket, right? But these kind of games, where the adult is capable of making a more complex arrangement can teach the kid and also expose the child to more complex arrangements - allowing for subtle learning possibilities in the context of play." This would be an excellent addition to a block set or to a family coffee table - something fun for everyone to tinker with.

Last year, this lovely game sold for about $50 most places we looked. It has been a few months since we checked, but it's currently selling for about $37 on Amazon.com.