Last year I mentioned in my S.T.E.M. books and toys gift guide that I was going to purchase Gravity Maze for my kids, and I stayed true to my word! My ten year old has been enjoying it all year, so I wanted to revisit it as a game of the month and share our experience.
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About Gravity Maze
Gravity Maze, by ThinkFun, is fantastic for developing kids' visual perception, logic and reasoning skills. The game includes a set of translucent tower mazes in various colors, a building tray, metal marbles and a set of challenge cards (ranging from beginning to expert). Each challenge cards dictates a starting point for tower build, indicating which towers are used, and where the marble exit point should be. Players attempt to build a marble run according to the parameters indicated on each challenge card.
Tips for Playing With Kids
- If your kids like marble runs, Gravity Maze is an excellent variation on that theme. Kids really have to engage their visual perception skills to image the potential path of the marble inside the towers. Unlike traditional marble runs, there are different paths inside the towers to consider and manipulate.
- Even though Gravity Maze is marketed as a single player game, it makes an excellent family cooperative game, especially the expert level cards. One way we approach the game is to have each family member in charge of one color tower. In our house, competition disrupts the peace, so we try to turn every game into a cooperative effort!
- This is a single player game, recommended for kids ages 8 and up. My then-9 year old needed slight guidance with understanding how to place the towers into the base. There are dots on each tower to indicate orientation and placement, and that confused him at first. However, that hurdle was quickly overcome and he was able to easily play independently.
- My 6 year old wanted to play, but he did need me to sit with him and work through each challenge. However he felt quite satisfied each time he was able to complete a challenge successfully.
- Play is not restricted to the challenge cards. Curious kids can create their own mazes independently.
Have you ever played Gravity Maze?
Click on the image below to find this game and more educational gift ideas on our gift guide.
Jen Robinson says
Thanks for this suggestion. My daughter at 5 is a bit young for this, but I think it will be right up her alley in a couple of years. She LOVES MagnaTiles, which were another suggestion from you. I believe she may be getting more of those for Christmas, after lamenting periodically all year long that she doesn't have the larger set.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I completely agree that MagnaTiles is a MUCH better toy for a 5 year old than Gravity Maze. It's fun, but definitely challenging!
Baiba from Latvia says
Thank you for your game of the month posts. They are so helpful in choosing games! We have bought several, following your suggestions (Qwirkle, Blokus, Ticket to ride, Sleepng queens, Rat-a-tat Cat, Rummikub, Rush hour, Forbidden Island), and have never felt disappointed. This proves, that your family's taste for board games is rather similar to our family's taste, and I believe that someday we will buy Gravity Maze as well! Thank you once more for your job!
Erica MomandKiddo says
I'm so glad to hear you've enjoyed so many of our favorite games! Gravity Maze is a bit more advanced than the games I usually recommend (it's hard for me, too!) but I hope you are able to enjoy it one day, too!
Even in Australia says
Good to know! I'd been considering getting this for my almost-8yo and now I will!
Nicole L says
That looks really similar to a building toy we have called Q-Ba Maze, which my daughter and husband love working on together. I'm fascinated by the concept of little plastic cubes making amazing marble runs!
Love your game of the month posts! We picked up Swish Jr. from your recommendation and love it!
Jessica says
We have a 9 year-old host little boy coming to spend the holidays with us. I'm told he loves science, so this will be right up his alley. Thanks!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Enjoy!