https://www.outbrick.site/blog/category/learning-through-play Stories from the Learning through play shelf of the OutBrick Journal. en Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://www.outbrick.site/assets/icon/icon-192.png https://www.outbrick.site/blog/category/learning-through-play https://www.outbrick.site/blog/are-puzzle-games-good-for-your-brain https://www.outbrick.site/blog/are-puzzle-games-good-for-your-brain Puzzles are often sold as brain training. Here is what the studies actually show about memory, ageing and mood, and what nobody can honestly promise. Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play are puzzle games good for your brain brain training puzzles and memory puzzle games research Sprout and Peach either side of a real OutBrick board in colour-blind mode on iPhone, with studded bricks on an indigo wall https://www.outbrick.site/blog/can-puzzle-games-improve-spatial-skills https://www.outbrick.site/blog/can-puzzle-games-improve-spatial-skills Spatial skills can be trained, but games are a narrower route than often claimed. What the meta-analyses say about spatial training, Tetris and transfer. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play spatial skills puzzle games research brain training Tetris research Bricko and a winking Zippy beside an iPhone showing Button Factory on the OutBrick Journey map, with bricks floating overhead https://www.outbrick.site/blog/calm-games-for-kids https://www.outbrick.site/blog/calm-games-for-kids Most apps young children play use manipulative design. A research-based checklist for spotting pressure, adverts and lures, and choosing calmer games. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play children parents calm games healthy play game design Poppy and Bloo either side of a phone showing a super hard OutBrick board at level 520, with yellow, orange and purple bricks floating nearby https://www.outbrick.site/blog/chunking-how-expert-puzzlers-see-patterns https://www.outbrick.site/blog/chunking-how-expert-puzzlers-see-patterns Chess masters remember boards by the pattern, not the piece. What chunking research shows about expert perception, and how to build chunks of your own. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play chunking expertise puzzles and memory cognitive psychology puzzle games research Moss in his tool belt and Bricko either side of an iPhone showing a real, tightly packed OutBrick board marked Super Hard https://www.outbrick.site/blog/puzzles-executive-function-children https://www.outbrick.site/blog/puzzles-executive-function-children Executive function underpins planning and self-control. What studies say puzzles and games can and cannot do for children, and how to play in ways that help. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play executive function learning games children puzzle games research brain training Sprout and Vio either side of a phone showing the Bamboo Springs stretch of the OutBrick Journey map, with yellow, green and blue bricks floating nearby https://www.outbrick.site/blog/playing-games-with-grandchildren https://www.outbrick.site/blog/playing-games-with-grandchildren Research on intergenerational play finds real benefits for both generations when the game is chosen well. What the studies show, and how to make it work. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play intergenerational play social play families games for seniors learning games Poppy and Flurry either side of a phone showing the Celebration Square stretch of the OutBrick Journey map, with yellow, purple and green bricks floating nearby https://www.outbrick.site/blog/why-finish-a-hard-puzzle https://www.outbrick.site/blog/why-finish-a-hard-puzzle Struggle that ends in a solution teaches more than an easy win. What research on desirable difficulties, effort and productive failure says about hard puzzles. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play desirable difficulties learning from mistakes problem solving motivation puzzle games research Poppy and a winking Zippy beside an iPhone showing Celebration Square on the OutBrick Journey map, on an indigo brick grid https://www.outbrick.site/blog/stuck-on-a-puzzle-incubation-effect https://www.outbrick.site/blog/stuck-on-a-puzzle-incubation-effect Why an unsolved puzzle often cracks after a break, what a meta-analysis of incubation studies found, and how to take the kind of break that helps. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play incubation effect problem solving puzzle tips insight cognitive psychology Vio in headphones and Sprout beside an iPhone showing the OutBrick shop, with a few yellow and blue bricks floating on an indigo grid https://www.outbrick.site/blog/aha-moment-insight-brain https://www.outbrick.site/blog/aha-moment-insight-brain The sudden click of a solved puzzle has a signature in the brain. What research says about insight, why aha answers are usually right, and when they are not. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play insight aha moment problem solving cognitive psychology puzzle games research Peach and Vio either side of an iPhone showing Button Factory on the OutBrick Journey map, with yellow and red bricks floating nearby https://www.outbrick.site/blog/why-undo-makes-you-a-better-puzzle-solver https://www.outbrick.site/blog/why-undo-makes-you-a-better-puzzle-solver Mistakes you can take back are some of the best teachers a puzzle has. What research on errors and planning says about using undo well, and when to hold back. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play learning from mistakes problem solving puzzle tips planning game design Poppy with her star wand and Bricko beside an iPhone showing the OutBrick shop, on an indigo brick grid https://www.outbrick.site/blog/working-memory-puzzle-difficulty https://www.outbrick.site/blog/working-memory-puzzle-difficulty A hard board is often a memory problem in disguise. How working memory and cognitive load shape puzzle difficulty, and practical ways to lighten the load. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT OutBrick Editorial Desk Learning through play working memory cognitive load puzzles and memory problem solving puzzle tips Vio in headphones and Flurry in a knitted hat beside an iPhone showing Bamboo Springs on the OutBrick Journey map https://www.outbrick.site/blog/games-teach-curiosity-without-lecture https://www.outbrick.site/blog/games-teach-curiosity-without-lecture How interactive systems can invite experimentation, and what MIT’s maker-learning work suggests about putting agency before explanation. Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT Mourad Hamdi Learning through play learning games curiosity MIT game design A young player investigates responsive clues in a sunny meadow leading toward a kinetic observatory