Marble Matrix

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
On their turn, a player closely examines the game board to look for ways to move marbles to make color matches. All other players also look at the game board to see if a color match can be made with one slide of marbles.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Often there are numerous matching opportunities on a player's turn. Remind younger children to look at the board carefully during play. This will discourage impulsive actions, and promote focus and self control.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Playing Marble Matrix helps children develop spatial reasoning skills, situational analysis, risk assessment and perspective changing. Remind younger children to look at the board carefully during play, making sure to look for matches of more than 2 marbles, matches that help child collect at least 3 of a colored, and matches that can prevent other players from getting the colors they want. This will discourage impulsive actions, and promote focus and self control.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players decide which marbles can be moved to make color matches, and determine which to move to get the color match they want.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Often there are numerous matching opportunities on a player's turn. Remind younger children to look at the board carefully during play, and to look at the colors other players are collecting. This will help children think both tactically and strategically.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Marble Matrix involves examining the board and creating mental models of the consequences of sliding different marbles. When first learning to play, players may only think about matching colors to collect on their turn. As they become more proficient, they will engage in more complex strategy and goals like trying to collect all 6 of a color or blocking others from collecting certain colors. Thus, players are not only considering the tactics of sliding marbles to make matches, but also determining when to be more strategically offensive and defensive during the game. Often there are numerous matching opportunities on a player's turn. Remind younger children to look at the board carefully during play, and to look at the colors other players are collecting. This will help children think both tactically and strategically.

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players compare options for sliding marbles prior to determining which marble(s) to slide.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To help children, have them describe aloud the different options they see and how they help the child score and prevent other players from scoring. Ask specific questions such as, "Look at these two options. Which would be for scoring points?" Verbalizing is a good technique for strengthening the child's analytical abilities and problem-solving.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
As children compare options for sliding marbles, they are learning situational analysis and spatial reasoning. To help children, have them describe aloud the different options they see and how they help the child score and prevent other players from scoring. Ask specific questions such as, "Look at these two options. Which would be for scoring points?" Verbalizing is a good technique for strengthening the child's analytical abilities and problem-solving.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Marble Matrix involves a little prediction. As players' collect marbles, you can more accurately predict what colors they will pursue.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
If you notice children seem not to be considering the moves of other players, remind them look at the marbles collected by others prior to deciding what marbles to match on their turn. Help them think about the impact of varying plays on their score as well as limiting the points of the other players. For example, ask children to describe aloud the potential reward and cost making a color match. Does it help them increase their score, or block another player from scoring? To help children evaluate different options, encourage them to "Wait. Look. Think."

Learning Implications and Educator Support
In order to make predictions, children use spatial reasoning, risk and reward analysis, and complex comparison. Also, children need to change perspective, imagining being their opponents, in order to have optimal predicting skills. Educators may want to ask open ended questions to encourage more thoughtful analysis and prediction. For example, "What options do you see? How will the marbles you slide help you score or prevent others from scoring? What do you think others are trying to collect? What do you think an opponent might do in response? Is your strategy to maximize points or block opponents from scoring?" To help children evaluate different options, encourage them to "Wait. Look. Think."

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Based on comparing, players plan which marble row or rows to slide in order to achieve a color match. Additionally, players plan throughout the game as they try to get marbles of the same color in order to score the most points.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
If a child is having difficulty seeing possible matches, provide hints like "I can see how to make a blue marble match."

Learning Implications and Educator Support
If a child is having difficulty seeing possible matches, provide hints like "I can see how to make a blue marble match."

Practice

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Like chess or checkers, Marble Matrix has multiple levels of complexity that players will master the more they play the game.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
When learning this game, play several rounds collaboratively. Talk about different moves and the consequences of each.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Marble Matrix has several implicit levels of mastery. Therefore, the more children play the more capable they will be in developing and executing increasingly sophisticated strategies. As they become proficient, they will be able to teach others. Teaching others demonstrates mastery, the final stage of learning, and is wonderful for building self-esteem, confidence and intrinsic motivation.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to adapt plans and strategies as other players move and collect marbles. Ultimately, winning the game requires logic, reasoning and problem-solving.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
As the game is being learned, children may not make the highest scoring or most strategically helpful color matches. If you see this, ask them to share their thinking and what they might do differently next time. After children have mastered the basics, they learn new information constantly during game play. This information directly effects how children decide which marbles to slide and color matches to make. The ability to shift strategies based on new information can help children cope with the stresses of change in other areas of their life.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Marble Matrix involves significant spatial reasoning and understanding, if/then problem-solving, and directionality. As the game is being learned, children may not make the highest scoring or most strategically helpful color matches. If you see this, ask them to share their thinking and what they might do differently next time. After children have mastered the basics, they learn new information constantly during game play. This information directly effects how children decide which marbles to slide and color matches to make.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Not appropriate for children with cognitive delays. The game requires visual spatial reasoning and strategic thinking.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
No communication is needed, to play Marble Matrix, but players can be encourage to name the colors they want to match or explain their thinking for each move. This will help them practice communication.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
If the child has fine motor concerns, play with a partner. The players decide together which row to move, and then the partner without fine motor concerns moves the marbles.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Marble Matrix is highly motivating, so the game should not be too frustrating. The turns are fast and will encourage persistence.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
The board is visually complex, so Marble Matrix is not recommended for children with uncorrected visual concerns.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children who are deaf or hard of hearing should be able to play Marble Matrix without modifications.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Add an element of motivation to try to win multiple marbles. Play so that if you get four of one color in a turn, you can steal two of the same color from other player(s).

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
To obtain four of one color requires players to study the board in more detail and visualize alignments of marbles with various options. This modification encourages players to be more strategic in their play.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
If you earn two pair, you can steal one marble of either color of the pairs from another player.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
To obtain two pair of different colored marbles requires players to study the board in more detail and visualize alignments of marbles with various options. This modification encourages players to be more strategic in their play.