Monday, April 26, 2010

Fun and Easy DIY Tetris-Style Magnetic Blocks

It's no secret to longtime readers of this blog that I'm a huge Tetris fan, and not just because it's fun: I've shared with you research about how it can reduce stress and build your brain as well.  Now I'm going to show you how to make your own blocks to create a your own hands-on, analog puzzle game.

You'll need one package of inkjet magnet sheets (you can get them at any office supply store for $10-15), enough ink to print five full-color sheets, and an exacto knife or quality scissors.

Download the five PDFs that contain the pieces arranged in a grid as you see below and print them on each magnet sheet (most come in packages of 5).  Make sure to give the magnet sheets time to dry after you print them.  I've also included a blank grid that you can use for creating your own block designs if you wish.

Each of the seven classic pieces used in most versions of the game are here, arranged so that 40 blocks are fit into the five sheets.  Each piece is made up of 1.5" squares so that they're big enough to be easy to use and see from a distance.

As for what you could do with this, I thought I would show you:



If you have ideas for using these blocks, the magnet sheets or anything related, share your ideas in the comments.  I'm excited to hear what you guys come up with!