Block Fitting Puzzle Tray — Fill It With No Gaps

A tray and a set of coloured blocks in different geometric shapes. Every block has to go inside the tray with no space left over. There is more than one arrangement that works, and finding any of them means thinking before placing rather than after.

How you play

1. Tip the blocks out and look at the shape of the tray.
2. Start with the biggest and most awkward blocks — they have the fewest places.
3. Fit the smaller ones into the gaps that remain.
4. If you get stuck, remove a large block and try it somewhere else.
5. The round ends when everything is inside and no space is left.

What it builds

• Fitting shapes into a fixed area, which is core spatial reasoning
• Starting with the constrained pieces rather than the easy ones
• Undoing a nearly-right attempt, which is hard and worth learning
• Rotating a shape in the head before moving it

Three ways to play it

• Solve it, scramble it, and solve it a different way
• Take one block out and see whether the rest still fit
• Time a solve and try to beat your own record

The details

• Ages: 6–8 years