Hello fellow stackers! Are you looking for a stacking challenge? Get together your Grapat wooden toys and join in the fun. Be warned; this can be addictive. But it is loads of fun as well!
I would like to share how this all started, introduce you to extraordinary creative minds that have gone above and beyond and sparked so much fun play, and share a list of 50 challenges that I hope will inspire many hours of play at home with the family. Most likely you’ll start stacking other combinations halfway through 😉
In this post:
- How did this Grapat stacking challenge start?
- Why do we like stacking so much?
- About Grapat
- Grapat toys you can stack
- Amazing stackers on Instagram
- Grapat stacking challenges list
How did this Grapat stacking challenge start?
It all started some weeks ago on Instagram trying to balance a ball on a cone. Without it being my intention, it spiraled into a stacking party of Grapat mandala pieces and loose parts.
A group of like-minded people from all over the world started sharing stacking challenges, and it has been so much fun. We’ve been rooting for each other, sharing tricks, pushing our boundaries, and trying things that by ourselves we would have never thought possible. It has been a fantastic experience.
We started posting our creations and accomplishments under the hashtag #grapatstackingchallenge, which I strongly encourage you to check out. You’ll be amazed by the beautiful and inspiring creations from fantastic stackers from all over the world.
Why do we like stacking so much?
We’ve been doing a lot of stacking at home lately. Stacking is an activity that helps develop many skills. These are some of our favorite reasons to encourage it during playtime:
- Patience: They require patience, slowing down, in this fast-moving world.
- Dealing with emotions: We have to deal with frustration – as more often than not the pieces fall down.
- Balancing & precision: We must take our time and find that spot where everything stands in place.
- Concentration: Focus and attention to detail
- Perseverance: not giving up
- Eye-hand coordination
- Respect: we have a rule at home; we must respect others’ creations until they say it is ok to take them down. It’s been hard for my 3-year-old, but I feel he is now getting it and respecting us more.
- Challenging: It helps us push ourselves to do things we didn’t imagine we could achieve.
- Encouraging: It’s a beautiful way to encourage one another when they don’t think they can push their limits
- Helping: We ask for help when we need it, and we help each other out
You’ll discover that you can stack whatever you have around you, and you can turn it into a fun game and challenge.
About Grapat
Joguines Grapat is a family project that came to be when the founders left the city to bring up their children in a more natural environment. They saw children’s play as a sacred moment that should not be interrupted and where adults should just take a step back and let them play at their own speed and create their own rules. (The only rules to be set are: respect & not hurting oneself, others, the environment, the material, and the creations of others).
They believe that the game in children is like an earthquake that can not be stopped, however much we adults try with all our strength. Their wooden toys come without instructions and as an invitation to let free play, without the time and slowly. You can learn more about them on their website.
They are also from my homeland, and I was so surprised to discover them three years ago when living in the UK, not having heard of them when I was back home (2 years before). They are doing a fantastic job and also being completely plastic-free. These beautiful creations are conquering hearts worldwide, and we are not surprised. They are magical!
Grapat toys you can use for a stacking challenge
So what Grapat toys can you stack? I’d say almost all of them. You have just to be creative. My stacks mostly feature Grapat Mandala bits because, I must admit, I have a soft spot for them and I simply love them.
Grapat Mandala
- Pineapples
- Cones
- Honeycombs
- Snowflakes
- Mushrooms
- Eggs
- Flowers
- Stones
- Coins
- Petals
- Flowers
- Water drops
- Fire
- Trees
Grapat Lola
Loose parts
Little things
And these I know can be stacked but unfortunately, we do not have them at home (but they are definitely on our wishlist)
- Nesting Rings
- Magicians
- Insects
Amazing stackers on Instagram
Here is a list of stacking wizards and creative geniuses that I admire and inspire daily. If you are searching for more inspiration, I highly encourage you to follow them.
Michelle from @little.redheads
Meg from @playtimewithfox
Mia from @miaruinst
Taarika from @shunmun_makelearningfun
Mahima from @thetoysareforme
Amy from @tillystoys
Fiona from @fiona.dalmeida
Charis from @charisandallegra
Alicja from @dreamingdaughter
Jolene from @woodentoy_play
Linda & JB from @coldcoffee.cooltoys
Lisa from @mandalas_and_rainbows
Marina from @bitsofcreations
On my Instagram account, I have a highlight with Wood Toy Stacks, and that captures many of the fantastic things we’ve seen on the channel, and you’ll see their most astonishing creations and challenges there.
Grapat stacking challenges list
Some of the stacks here are original, and others were prompted by the talented creative stackers I mentioned above. I’ll do my best to credit them in each one – and I hope I do a good job at it. (If I make any mistakes, please forgive me and let me know by DM on Instagram so I can amend it). Sorry if not all the challenges have picture, I’m doing my best to recreate and post here for you, or link to posts so you can follow the links to see.
Lets start simple – stack of the same mandala parts
#01 Honeycomb on honeycomb
#02 Cone on a cone @little.redheads
#03 Flower on a flower
#04 Mushroom on mushroom
#05 Pinepple on a pineapple
#06 Egg on an egg
#07 Pebble on a pebble
Now here are, in my opinion, the most complicated mandala parts. I’ve seen most of them done but I have only managed to do the snowflakes (and they only lasted for 10 seconds before they fell)
#08 Petal on a petal
#09 Drop on a drop (either fire or water)
#10 Tree on a tree
#11 Snowflake on a snowflake @thetoysareforme
Now lets get higher 😉
Pineapples
#12 Pineapple stack – We managed 9 but took photo of 8 (I wasn’t fast enough)
#13 Inverted pineapple stack @shunmun_makelearningfun – she made it to 7, I’ve managed five 😉
#14 Pineapple pyramid
#15 Pineapple castle with other loose parts
#16 Inverted pineapple wall @coldcoffee.cooltoys
Cones
#17 Cone wall @playtimewithfox
#18 Cone pyramid @little.redheads. I still haven’t managed this one 😅
#19 Inverted cone wall
#19 Inverted cone pyramid
#20 Inverted cone wall with additional level
#21 Inverted cone wall with additional 2 levels
#22 Cone on inverted cone
#23 Inverted cone on cone
#24 Cone on a cone on a cone – by Michelle from @little.redheads. This still feels like magic to me.
Honeycombs
#25 Honeycomb stack (how high can you go?) – I’ve managed 4, but the incredible @charisandallegra went up to 9. I still don’t understand how, but it can be done 😉 you can check out her post here.
#26 Honeycomb pyramid
#27 Honeycomb wall – This one is just insane, it seems very easy, but it is not. Inspired by @miaruinst who did the most amazing wall of 8 honeycombs wide on the lower level.
Eggs
#28 Six eggs on eggs in a row @charisandallegra – so beautiful. Check it out in this post from her!
#29 Egg on an egg on an egg inspired @dreamingdaughter. Picture kindly shared by @little.redheads (I haven’t managed to do this one yet)
On cones
Let’s start with everything on a cone…. and if you want to make it more difficult, everything on a cone side by side
#30 Honeycomb on a cone
#31 Pineapple on a cone
#32 Egg on a cone
#33 Flower on a cone
#34 Drop (fire or water) on a cone
#35 Mushroom on a cone
#36 Petal on a cone
#37 Little coin on a cone
#38 Snowflake on a cone
#39 Pebble on a cone
#40 All mandala pieces on a cone side by side (almost, missing the tree and the cone😅)
#41 Large coins on a cone
#42 Mini lolas on a cone – inspired by @thetoysareforme. I’ve managed three but @charisandallegra managed all 6! check it out here
#43 Six eggs on cones in a row. The hard part about this one is having each close to the other. If one goes down, the rest will likely follow 🙈 Inspired by @thetoysareforme
#44 Seven petals on cones in a row – @little.redheads threw the challenge with six, and I managed seven 😄
#45 Three sizes Lolas on a cone
Combinations
#46 Honeycombs and little coins alternated
#47 Coins on snowflakes
#48 Coins on water drop @rainbow.construction
#49 Coins on eggs @rainbow.construction
#50 Two honeycombs on a cone on a flower on three cones 😅 (and I was topped by @charisandallegra that managed three honeycombs on top)
#51 Ring and cones tower
#52 Honeycomb on mushroom
#53 Two pebbles on a mushroom on a pineapple
#54 Fire on a flower on a pineapple
#55 Ring tower
#56 Upside down stacks @miaruinst is the master, and still, I wonder how she does it (Inspired by @bitsofcreation)
#57 Pebble stack (how high can you go?)
#58 Lola tubes and rings
#59 Flower stack (how high can you go?)
#60 Coin stack (how high can you go?) In this picture there are 16.
#61 Coins on little things
#62 Loose parts – how many different loose parts can you stack?
#63 Insects on cones – check out this post from @gemeinsam_kind_sein
#64 Flower, insects and cones tower by @little.redheads
#65 Inverted magicians tower – I love this creation from @dreamingdaughter
#66 Nesting rings tower – check the creation from @dreamingdaughter
Grapat stacking challenge – don’t give up!
Putting this post together hasn’t been easy. There have been many attempts. Many failures and some successes, but it has been very fun. We’ve had fun as a family, as a community on Instagram, and also by myself. Stacking helps work on many aspects, but I’ve learned more doing the Grapat stacking challenges is resilience and patience.
I just wanted to remind you, that whatever you challenge yourself with (be it something unimportant like this, or something with a bigger impact in your life), keep at it. Don’t give up! It might take many days and failed attempts, but persevere and you might achieve it! 😉
And if you are doubting yourself, you can find many like-minded people going through the same as you who will encourage you and boost your confidence if you share what you are struggling with (be it with your friends&family or on Instagram). Just be brave to ask for help and you’ll be surprised to see how many people come to your aid or might be going through the same thing as you.
These are the stacks created during January 2022 with Grapat toys released up until 2021. Hopefully, we’ll be able to expand with new challenges with the upcoming releases.
I hope these stacks might help as a spark of inspiration and at the same time, it becomes a place to store all that those amazing stackers have created together by cheering and raising each other higher. It has been fantastic and so amusing. I hope we keep building and that you join in the fun!
Happy stacking! 🌟
P.S. And I’ll keep trying all those challenges that I still have not achieved and plan to share my progress on Instagram. Come join! 😉
Oh! And if you liked this post, you might also like these other posts filled with creative play ideas 😉 I hope you’ll like them!
