Lochkasten and Lemo: learning games that check themselves
Learning games have an image problem: they often look like homework. The Kölner Lernspielverlag solves that differently – with two wooden systems that check themselves and therefore work without adults.
The Lochkasten: the child checks itself
The base unit is a wooden box of 12 × 10 cm with a wooden pin on a cord. Slide in a card set, put the pin into the hole of the chosen answer, pull the card: if the answer is right, the card slides out. If it is wrong, it stays put.
That sounds simple but has an underrated consequence: nobody has to sit beside and correct. No «wrong, look again», no disappointed faces. Pin and cord sit in the middle, so left- and right-handers manage equally well.
Over 20 card sets from 2 to 9 years
The appeal of the system lies in its range. It begins with animal offspring from age 2, where baby animals are matched to their parents. It moves through perception tasks at nursery age and ends for now at the small times tables for year 2. One base unit, seven years of use, card sets from 8 francs.
Lemo: the same principle with rubber bands
The Lemo wooden frame comes with four coloured rubber bands. Instead of plugging, you stretch: what belongs together is connected with a band. That trains fine motor skills along the way – stretching rubber bands is harder for small fingers than it looks. All Lemo card sets fit the same frame.
Rüsselfuchs: cards for family life
From the same house comes Rüsselfuchs, a small workshop for card sets. Starke Taten gathers 40 environmental cards in three categories: everyday actions to join in, explorer knowledge about bees, plastic and forest, and sustainable craft ideas. From age 5, in DIN A7 format on 400 g card, produced in Germany and packed plastic-free. The animal illustrations are drawn by hand – without artificial intelligence, as the publisher expressly states. Please note the cards are in German.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the base unit for every card set?
Yes, once. The Lochkasten and the card sets are sold separately: a wooden box for 12 francs, plus card sets from 8 francs. Anyone who already has a box simply buys more sets. The same applies to Lemo with its wooden frame – the two systems are not compatible with each other, though.
From what age is it worth starting?
From age 2 with matching tasks such as «animal offspring». The age is stated on every card set and goes up to 9 years. Because the base unit stays the same, you can start small – more on that in the overview Toys by age.
What does self-checking achieve?
That children can practise without being watched. Mistakes stay private, repetition does not feel like a test. That is also why such materials have a firm place in Montessori education.
Is it good for travelling?
The Lochkasten is made for it at 12 × 10 cm – it fits in a nursery rucksack and keeps all parts together in the car because the pin hangs on a cord. The Rüsselfuchs card sets in A7 format travel well too.
All card sets and base units are in the collections Kölner Lernspielverlag and Rüsselfuchs – more ideas under creative + discovery.