Timeless Thoughts: Foam puzzle mats

Timeless Thoughts is a monthly linkup hosted by Georgie and Tara, where bloggers write about something from their past – it could be an item, a place, an event – anything that evokes a trip down memory lane. Timeless Thoughts is held on the first Saturday of the month, and runs for two weeks.

I am glad that Tara hosted Timeless Thoughts this month. I was in Europe at the beginning of the month and although I had ideas of something to write about, it was just more convenient to not have to do it. Today is the last day to add your post to the linkup at Tara’s blog – so I hope you have all added your posts!

I can’t remember how exactly this came to my mind, but foam puzzles came to mind whilst we were holidaying in Europe. Forget traditional jigsaw puzzles. Forget wooden boards where you put the shaped animal in the correctly shaped hole. Foam puzzles were where it was at!

Alphabet foam puzzle mat
These were the shit.
When I was a kid I really wanted to build massive cubes and things with foam puzzles. But my mum was reluctant to buy any until she saw Brandon and myself getting very excited every time a friend of ours had them. It was far beyond the learning of putting foam letters and numbers into the correct spot. It was more about:

  • having an amazing colourful foam walkway through the house, pretending the floor was lava
  • making bricks
  • building forts
  • having a more interesting play mat for our toy cars
  • having something really nice to sit on that was not hard floor

It was loads of fun.

Did you love foam puzzle mats?

Image from imgmarket.net.

Comments on this post

You know, I never had these growing up. But they’re at my workplace, and the kids love to make barriers and hide in them! In fact, I watched a bunch of ten-year-olds do that a few months ago, and I sniggered to myself while they built it around themselves and hid in them :D I’ve also seen some of them also try to make a fort of some sort, or they used them as props for whatever imaginary game they were playing :) I have to say these mats are quite versatile!

I never had puzzle mats. :( And I don’t think I knew anyone who did. But they look like fun, even as an adult!

Ahhhh I loved these when I was a kid! I didn’t have them though so I had to play with them at day care. I like the ones where you had a variety of things to piece together like animals!

Oh my goodness! I remembered playing with those foam puzzle when I was a kid! It was fun building some cool forts out of it and using it as a mat. I’d probably buy these for my kids just to keep the tradition going XD.

I LOVE foam puzzle mats! Although, I didn’t have one myself personally growing up – when my brother was born, my parents bought him some and I was more interested in them than my brother – I was like 15 at the time :P I successfully made a cube after holding it with chairs outside and my brother inside haha!

I honestly don’t recall if I played with foam puzzles as a child – I remember using them when I worked at the daycare during Summers. The toddlers loved gnawing on them. :P