Soothing Summer Sessions with Simbrix

I don’t know about you, but when I go on holiday, I go to relax. I know some people like active holidays but for me,  it’s time to chill.

I recently went to Jamaica and took my new pack of Simbrix with me because I had fun but relaxation in mind.

Don’t know what Simbrix are? Well, let me tell you. The closest things I can think of that they are vaguely like, are Lego pieces (but extra tiny) and jigsaw puzzle pieces. They are like little beads, except that the outer edges are not smooth, they are grooved in different places to allow them to fit into each other. So you get these colourful little pieces that are expertly and intricately designed in a set and you just get creative by interlocking them and seeing what you can come up with. If you don’t feel like your creative juices are flowing just yet, don’t despair. The creators of Simbrix also include in the pack, a set of cards showing ideas of what you can create!

Here is the fish we recreated by following the card and using the colored pieces in the places as shown.

We also had a go at creating letters, food, and random objects. Trust me when I say that the sky is the limit with how creative you can get with these pieces.

What I had in mind to create while on holiday was a beach scene to remind me of the fun we had while at the seaside, or sitting at our beach table or under the shady almond or palm trees. What we ended up doing, however, was just having a play around, as it was our first time.

We had quite a bit of interest while we were on the beach as many persons had never seen or heard about Simbrix before. I had to do a quick google search and found that they are actually sold on Amazon.

Here’s the list of what we love about Simbrix

• The pieces come in their own plastic container with a click lock lid for easy storage
• you can easily disassemble what you have created and make something new
• it is quite therapeutic to just sit relaxed and create what you want
• children from about age 6 can participate in the creativity
• the beads come in a variety of colors which makes it easy to create a variety of images
• for some reason, the finished  pieces remind me of cross stitch patterns I used to do on cloth as a child

The drawbacks

• we wish the pieces were magnetic so they would be easier to find at the end of a play session by just using a magnet
• similarly, a magnetic base on which to work your designs would also be good especially for travel
• We would love to see other colors (though I did see some others on their Instagram feed)

Cost

Having done a little ‘window’ shopping around, I found different sets ranging in price from £18 to over £100 on Amazon. They would make nice Christmas pressies I think.

My Simbrix photos

I imagine that family members can compete with each other to create set images. I mean, the possibilities are endless.

Based on the average feedback from my family members who used Simbrix, I would give it a rating of 4 stars out of 5.

I would love to hear about your ideas for kids fun, especially during the summer or other holiday times. Check out Emma’s post for more ideas.