Hidden Cargo Block Puzzle — Load the Train by Level

A puzzle where you load blocks into the carriages of a train according to a level card. The catch is that the blocks cannot be seen from above once they are in, so your child has to work out the arrangement rather than check it. Answers are printed on the back of the instructions.

How you play

1. Pick a level and look at the model it shows.
2. See which blocks that level calls for.
3. Work out where each block has to sit in the carriages.
4. Load them in — remember you cannot see them from above afterwards.
5. Check the answer on the back of the instructions.

What it builds

• Holding an arrangement in mind when it cannot be seen
• Reasoning from a diagram to a physical result
• Working up through levels of difficulty
• Checking an answer honestly, after committing to one

Three ways to play it

• Do a level, then set the same one again from memory
• Let your child load a carriage and challenge you to say what is inside
• Cover the answers until the level has genuinely been attempted

The details

• Ages: 3–6 years