Puzzle Time

This is a group that happens to LOVE puzzles and they are very good at it.

Today we worked on 12 piece puzzles.   Immediately I heard some… ” I can’t’s” or ” I don’t know how… ”  and even an ” I give up! ”  But eventually they ALL put their puzzle together.  As children are putting puzzles together we have to give them ” clues ” to help along the way.  ” There is a piece of red barn on that edge do you see anymore pieces that look like a red barn ”  or ” All the edges are straight like a picture frame.”   Not allowing your child to give in or you doing it for them teaches them patience and follow through. And wow.. what a sense of accomplishment and pride when they finally do it themselves.

My favorite moment of the day was when Scarlett was walking by Kingston and saw him struggling and offered her help. What a sweetie..  ( Yep.. I was right there and could have helped BUT….. he needed to try on his own AND imagine all the social lessons that were learned when Scarlett noticed his struggle and looked at me… with that ” can I PLEASE HELP ” look in her eyes . Then came the smile when I said ” I bet Kingston would LOVE your help.”  And then Kingstons ” thank you” at the end.  Empathy  ! Pride !  Friendship!

I love that my little ones care for each other.

Well.. yes, you know I took a picture of it !

From the Sensory Edge website :

Here are some of the skills that are enhanced by playing with puzzles:

1. Cognitive skills: Puzzles improve a child’s problem solving and reasoning skills. It helps them to see whole-part relationships, increases their visual spacial awareness and depending on the subject matter can teach them a variety of topics like the Alphabet, Numbers, Color recognition, shape recognition, categories like pets or transportation vehicles, and more.
2. Fine motor skills: Puzzles are fun way to improve fine motor skills. From the time a baby can start eating solid food parents give their children cheerios to help a child with their pincher grasp. Fine motor manipulation is key for writing but but children start learning this skill long before they can hold a crayon or a pencil. Various types of puzzles like peg puzzles and chunky can help teach little ones to pick up and grasp pieces and they aid in the development of the pincher grasp.
3. Hand-eye coordination: As a child places each piece in the puzzle they are manipulating it so see if it fits. Their hand eye coordination is enhanced through this trial and error process.
4. Social skills: Puzzles can be done alone but are also a great tool for fostering cooperative play. As kids ask for a piece to be passed to them, or discuss where a piece should go they are sharing the task and learning to cooperate. It can also help a child learn how to handle frustration when a piece does not fit.