Building the skills that make learning possible
Learning is not only about what children know, but how they think, process, and interact with the world.
Magrid is designed to develop the cognitive and motor skills that underpin learning, helping children build the foundations needed for success in mathematics, literacy, and beyond.
Why these skills matter
In early childhood, cognitive and motor skill development plays a critical role in learning readiness.
These skills support a child’s ability to:
- interpret and understand information
- remember and apply what they have learned
- solve problems and make connections
- interact with their environment in purposeful ways
They are strongly linked to success in:
- matemática elementar
- reading and writing
- reasoning and problem solving
- future STEM learning
By strengthening these foundations early, Magrid helps learners build the skills they need to engage more confidently and successfully with later learning.
Core cognitive skills developed in Magrid
A Magrid centra-se no competências fundamentais que estão na base da aprendizagem em todas as disciplinas. Apoiar a aprendizagem na primeira infância através de duas áreas intimamente relacionadas: pensamento cognitivo e literacia numérica precoce.
Visual Perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret and make sense of visual information.
For example, identifying and matching shapes that share similar characteristics.
This skill supports:
- recognising symbols, letters, and shapes
- identifying differences and similarities
- making sense of visual information in learning tasks
Magrid develops visual perception through activities that require careful observation, matching, and comparison.
Hand–Eye Coordination
Hand–Eye Coordination is the ability to use visual information to guide and control hand movements.
For example, tracing a shape or connecting dots with lines.
This skill supports:
- writing and drawing
- fine motor development
- accurate interaction with learning materials
Magrid develops hand–eye coordination through activities that require precision, control, and visual-motor integration.
Geometry and Patterns
Geometry and Patterns is the ability to recognise and manipulate shapes and repeating sequences.
For example, identifying individual shapes or continuing a pattern of colours.
This skill supports:
- mathematical reasoning
- sequencing and logic
- recognising structure and relationships
Magrid develops this skill through tasks that help learners identify, extend, and work with visual patterns and shapes.
Memória de trabalho
Working Memory is the ability to temporarily hold and use visual information to complete a task.
For example, remembering where an object was after it disappears.
This skill supports:
- following steps
- solving multi-stage problems
- retaining and applying new information
Magrid develops working memory through tasks that require learners to remember, track, and use visual information over short periods of time.
Mental Rotation
Mental Rotation is the ability to rotate objects mentally and understand their orientation.
For example, matching a rotated shape to its original form
This skill supports:
- spatial reasoning
- geometry
- visual problem solving
Magrid develops mental rotation through activities that ask learners to recognise shapes in different positions and orientations.
Mental Folding
Mental Folding is the ability to visualize how shapes can be manipulated and folded while understanding their symmetry.
For example, drawing a line of symmetry to split a shape into two identical halves.
This skill supports:
- symmetry and geometry
- visual reasoning
- understanding how forms change
Magrid develops mental folding through tasks that require learners to predict and analyse how shapes transform.
Broader skills strengthened across the program
In addition to the six core skills explicitly taught, Magrid also helps strengthen a wider range of abilities through repeated engagement across many activities.
Entre estes contam-se:
- Attention
- Executive functioning
- Resolução de problemas
- Reasoning
- Independence and persistence
These skills are not taught as standalone Magrid sub-competencies, but they are developed through the way learners engage with tasks, make decisions, sustain focus, and apply strategies over time.
How these skills support learning
The cognitive and motor skills developed in Magrid are closely connected to learning across subjects.
They support:
Early literacy
through visual recognition, tracking, and fine motor control
Mathematics
through pattern recognition, spatial understanding, and memory
Problem Solving
through reasoning, persistence, and flexible thinking
Together, these abilities help learners become more confident, capable, and independent in their learning.
Development over time
Magrid develops these skills through a structured progression.
Learners move from:
- simple visual tasks
- to more complex reasoning challenges
- to greater independence in problem solving
This progression helps ensure that skills are reinforced, deepened, and applied in different ways over time.
Building strong foundations for the future
Cognitive and motor skill development forms the foundation for all learning.
By strengthening these core abilities early, Magrid helps learners build the skills they need to succeed not only in school, but in lifelong learning.