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Parent Handbook · Magrid
Inclusive design · built for every child

The pedagogical guide for parents who want to do it right.

Understand the program deeply — the science behind it, how the curriculum is structured, and the habits that produce real results for your child.

Ages 3–7+ SEN up to 12+
12Core competencies
4000+Activities
10+Years of research
Magrid app
Contents: 1Why it works 2Program structure 3Daily habits 4Your role at home 5What to avoid 6Special needs
Chapter 1 · Why it works

15 minutes a day. A lifetime of advantage.

Magrid is built on a decade of neuroscience research. Three principles explain why it works — and why it works better than anything else for children ages 3–8.

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Principle 01
No language. No barriers.

Language is a bottleneck. When children decode words before thinking mathematically, the effort interferes with actual learning. Magrid removes this entirely — every activity is 100% visual. Any child, any language, anywhere.

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Principle 02
Maths and cognition. Together.

Numerical and cognitive skills develop simultaneously in the early childhood brain. Magrid trains both in every session — not one after the other. Research shows this dual approach produces significantly better outcomes.

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Principle 03
Skills that transfer to everything.

The cognitive skills in Magrid are the same neural foundations behind reading, writing, music, art, and focus. 15 minutes a day builds the brain architecture for all early learning — not just maths.

All 12 skills — and where they show up in your child's life
🧩 Cognitive Skills · 6 competencies
Visual Perception
Geometry & Patterns
Hand-Eye Coordination
Working Memory
Mental Folding
Mental Rotation
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Reading readiness
Visual tracking & sequences
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Writing & drawing
Pencil control & precision
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Music & rhythm
Pattern memory & structure
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Art & creativity
Spatial composition & form
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Focus in class
Sustained attention
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STEM thinking
Logic & spatial reasoning
📐 Numerical Skills · 6 competencies
Number Mapping
Number Recognition
Quantity Recognition
Ordinality
Number Comparison
Addition
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Number sense
Foundation of all maths
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Everyday numeracy
Counting, comparing, money
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School maths readiness
Arithmetic & problem solving
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Science & data
Quantities, measurement, logic
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Coding & technology
Sequences, order, binary thinking
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Logical reasoning
Order, comparison, deduction
Both blocks are active in every single session — they reinforce each other continuously, just as numerical and cognitive skills develop together in the early childhood brain.
10+
Years of neuroscience research behind Magrid
6
Published studies, University of Luxembourg
30+
Countries using Magrid in schools & homes
🇱🇺
Adopted by Luxembourg Ministry of Education
Chapter 2 · Program structure

22 planets. 12 skills. One continuous journey.

The curriculum is designed as a single, progressive learning path. Every planet contains both numerical and cognitive activities — they are never separated, because in the brain, they never develop separately either.

22-planet learning journey · left to right, increasing difficulty

1
Intro
2
Pre-test
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Mid-test
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Post-test
Training planets · Numerical + Cognitive skills in every planet
Assessment checkpoints (planets 2, 11, 22) · all 12 skills measured
Level →
Pre-K · Ages 3–4 Kindergarten · Ages 4–5 Grade 1 · Ages 6–7
Planet 1 · Always first

Planet 1 is not a lesson — it is an introduction to the format. It teaches your child how Magrid activities work, across all 12 competencies, before any difficulty builds. Always start here, every child, every time.

Assessments · No pressure

The assessments at planets 2, 11 and 22 appear naturally as your child advances through the journey. They are not pass-or-fail exams. They give you a measurable before-and-after picture of your child's development — nothing more.

Difficulty · Progressive always

Each planet builds on the previous one. Do not skip planets — even if your child finds them easy. The sequence is intentional: it lays foundations that later planets depend on. Progress at your child's pace, not faster.

How to make the most of Magrid at home

Same time every day

15 minutes at a consistent time — after school, before dinner, after bath — trains the brain to enter a learning state automatically. Consistency matters more than duration.

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Be present, not directing

Your physical presence — even silent — makes sessions more meaningful. Say "ooh, what's this one?" occasionally. Your curiosity is contagious and signals the activity matters.

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Connect to real life

After a session, point out where the skills appear: count apples at the market, notice patterns on tiles, sort objects by shape. Transfer reinforcement dramatically increases retention.

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Share data with specialists

Your dashboard gives you exportable skill data across all 12 competencies — genuinely useful for teachers, educational psychologists, or occupational therapists.

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Remember: you don't need to understand each skill in depth. What matters is showing up consistently, creating a calm environment, and letting Magrid do the teaching. Your role is to be present, curious, and encouraging — nothing more.

Chapter 3 · Daily habits

The habits that actually make a difference

Fifteen minutes is short. But how those fifteen minutes are framed — the consistency, the environment, the energy — determines whether your child gets 20% of the program's potential or 100% of it.

Habit 01
Same time. Same place. Every day.

Consistency is the single most important variable. The brain builds learning habits through repetition at predictable times. 15 minutes at the same moment every day — after school, before dinner, after bath — trains the brain to enter a learning state automatically. A 2-hour session once a week does not achieve this.

Habit 02
Check the dashboard weekly, not daily.

Checking too frequently creates anxiety — yours and your child's. Once a week is the right cadence. Pick one highlight to share with your child: "You completed 4 lessons this week — that's a new record." Visible, specific progress is the best long-term motivator. Avoid framing progress as a comparison with other children.

Habit 03
Connect Magrid to real life.

After a Magrid session, point out where the skills appear in everyday life: count apples at the market, notice patterns on floor tiles, sort objects by shape or colour. This "transfer reinforcement" dramatically increases retention and shows your child that maths is not just on a screen — it is everywhere.

Habit 04
Sit alongside — once or twice a week.

Your child can use Magrid independently. But your physical presence, even silent, makes the session more meaningful. You don't need to teach — just be there. Say "ooh, what's this one?" occasionally. Your curiosity is contagious. It signals that the activity matters, and children perform better and engage longer when a trusted adult is nearby.

Habit 05
Share data with teachers and specialists.

Your parent dashboard gives you real, exportable skill data across all 12 competencies. This is genuinely useful for your child's teacher, educational psychologist, speech therapist, or occupational therapist. Real data supports informed decisions. "I think she's getting better at spatial awareness" is weaker than a chart showing measurable progress over 8 weeks.

Habit 06
Celebrate effort, not results.

"You really focused today!" builds more long-term resilience than "You got it right!" Research in motivation consistently shows that children praised for effort develop a growth mindset — they see challenges as learnable. Children praised only for results develop a fixed mindset — they avoid challenges to protect their self-image. In Magrid, the effort is what matters.

Chapter 4 · Your role at home

You don't need to be a teacher. You need to be present.

Magrid does the teaching. Your role is different — and just as important. Here is what that looks like in practice.

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✓ Do this
Ask curious questions, not leading ones

"What do you think will happen if you move that one?" is a powerful question. "No, try the other one" is not. Curious questions keep the discovery in the child's hands — which is exactly where the learning happens.

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✕ Avoid this
Don't give the answer — even when you know it

Magrid is designed so children discover on their own. The moment you supply the answer, you short-circuit the neural process that makes the learning stick. Productive struggle is not failure — it is the brain learning. Let them try again.

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✓ Do this
Link Magrid activities to things your child loves

If they love dinosaurs, count dinosaurs. If they love LEGO, talk about shapes and spatial arrangements. Connecting abstract skills to personal interests increases motivation and accelerates transfer — skills learned in context are retained much better than skills learned in isolation.

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✕ Avoid this
Don't use Magrid as a reward or punishment

"You can only do Magrid if you finish your vegetables" turns learning into a transaction — and damages intrinsic motivation. Magrid should feel like part of daily life, like reading before bed. Neutral, normal, and non-negotiable in the best possible way.

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✓ Do this
Celebrate planet completions as real milestones

Each completed planet represents a genuine cognitive achievement. Mark it. A high five, a sticker, a special dinner — the scale of the celebration doesn't matter, the recognition does. Children who feel their progress is noticed are significantly more likely to continue.

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✕ Avoid this
Don't compare your child's pace with others

Children develop at radically different rates. A child who advances slowly through the early planets may be building deeper foundations than one who rushes through. The only meaningful comparison is your child now vs. your child three months ago. Everything else is noise.

Chapter 5 · What to avoid

The most common mistakes — and why they matter

These patterns come up repeatedly in families who don't see the results they expected. They are all easy to avoid once you know to look for them.

Skipping Planet 1. Every child, every time, should start with Planet 1. It is the introduction to the activity format — without it, activities from Planet 2 onwards can feel confusing and discouraging. There is no shortcut here.

Extending sessions beyond 15–20 minutes. The program is calibrated for short, focused engagement. Longer sessions produce diminishing returns and can create aversion. When your child is still engaged and wants to continue, that is exactly the right moment to stop.

Using Magrid in noisy or distracted environments. A quiet space with no competing screens matters more than many parents realise. Attention is the resource Magrid is training — you cannot train attention in an environment that is actively fragmenting it.

Comparing siblings or children within a group. "Your brother finished that planet faster" is deeply damaging to motivation. Each child's journey is individual. The dashboard is a personal progress tool — not a leaderboard.

Abandoning the program when it feels too easy. If your child moves through planets quickly, trust the program. The difficulty increases progressively — what feels easy at planet 3 is building foundations for what becomes genuinely challenging at planet 14. Consistency through the easy parts is what allows the hard parts to land.

Not completing all three assessments. The pre-test, mid-test and post-test together tell the full story of your child's development. Without the pre-test baseline, the post-test data is meaningless. Without the mid-test, you lose the ability to spot early patterns and share interim progress with specialists.

Chapter 6 · Special Educational Needs

Magrid is built for every child — including neurodiverse learners

The language-free, sensory-friendly, self-paced design removes most of the barriers that traditional learning tools create for children with different learning profiles.

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Sensory-friendly design

Minimal stimuli on screen. No ads, no pop-ups, no sudden sounds. Designed to help children with sensory sensitivities stay focused without being overwhelmed.

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100% language-free

No reading, no spoken instructions, no communication required at any point. A child who is non-verbal can engage fully and independently.

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Unlimited repetition

Activities can be repeated without limit, without penalty, without timer pressure. Children replay instructions or redo tasks as many times as they need.

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Used beyond age 8 for SEN

The standard age range is 3–8. For children with special educational needs or different developmental profiles, Magrid is effectively used up to age 12 and beyond.

ASD · Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Structured, predictable, language-free — ideal for autistic learners

  • Always use Magrid at the same time and in the same place. Predictable routines reduce anxiety and increase focus significantly.
  • Allow as much repetition as your child wants. For autistic children, repetition is not avoidance — it is consolidation.
  • Use a visual timer alongside the app to signal when the session will end. Transition anxiety is reduced when endings are predictable.
  • Sit nearby but give space. Some autistic children find close proximity overwhelming. Presence without crowding is the goal.
ADHD · Attention

ADHD & Attention Difficulties

Short, focused sessions designed to work with attention, not against it

  • Keep sessions to 10 minutes maximum for children with significant attention difficulties. Stopping while still engaged is more effective than pushing through.
  • Remove all other devices from the room. Competing stimuli are the biggest barrier for ADHD learners.
  • Try Magrid after physical activity. A short run or dance break before sitting down can significantly improve attention duration.
  • Reward session completion, not correctness. The habit is what matters most.
Dyslexia · Dyspraxia

Dyslexia, Dyspraxia & Dysgraphia

No reading, no writing — a barrier-free environment to build from strength

  • Frame Magrid explicitly as "a place where reading doesn't matter." Children with dyslexia carry anxiety about academic tasks — naming the absence of that barrier matters.
  • For dyspraxia, consider a stylus instead of a finger for precision touch activities. Reduced motor frustration improves engagement significantly.
  • Allow extra time — the app has no time pressure. Never rush through activities.
  • Research shows children with dyslexia often have strong visual-spatial abilities. Celebrate this explicitly using Magrid's cognitive skill data.
Deaf · Hearing impaired

Deaf & Hearing Impaired Children

Fully visual — no audio component in any activity

  • No setup needed. Magrid requires no audio at any point — all activities are entirely visual.
  • Sit with your child and use gestures and expression to celebrate progress during sessions.
  • Use tactile real-world objects alongside the screen to reinforce visual patterns seen in the app.
  • Share dashboard data visually with your child — show them their own progress chart in an accessible format.
Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome

Visual, repetitive, structured — aligns naturally with how many children with DS learn best

  • Sessions can be shorter — even 5–7 focused minutes is valuable and worth celebrating.
  • Allow your child to repeat the same planet multiple times before moving on. Mastery over pace is the right priority.
  • Use physical objects (blocks, counters, shapes) alongside the screen to reinforce what appears in the activities.
  • Focus progress tracking on days used and activities completed — not on assessment scores.
Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia & Language Disorders

Visual-first approach bypasses the symbolic barriers that make traditional maths hard

  • Frame Magrid as "a different kind of maths" — one where your child can succeed. Build confidence before anything else.
  • Focus on the cognitive skill planets first (visual perception, geometry, patterns) before the numerical ones — build from the child's strengths.
  • Never compare progress to other children or siblings — measure only against their own previous performance.
  • Align Magrid activities with your child's Individual Learning Plan (ILP) goals in collaboration with their specialist team.
"You don't need to be a maths teacher. You need to be present, curious, and consistent. Magrid does the teaching — you provide the environment where learning can happen."
— The Magrid Team
Available on all major platforms

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