How puzzles can help your child develop Puzzles do more than entice with their bright colours and interesting shapes. Finding the right place for each piece: Allows children to learn that a whole is made of parts Develops hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skills Builds visual-perceptual skills Develops attention, concentration and thinking skills such as recognising, remembering, matching, sorting and problem so Assists language skills as the child listens and follows instructions and talks about what they are doing All of the aforementioned developmental benefits translate into skills that are used in maths reading and writing. Puzzle tips When first exploring puzzles, younger children may be prompted to take the piece out and then watch as you place it back in. Take pieces out carefully making sure the pieces are face-up so the design of the picture is clearly present. Talk about the particular part of the puzzle that may be missing, eg the arm from a body puzzle- the reverse also, examining a puzzle piece and discussing what it looks like and represents in the puzzle Discuss the colour, patterning or shape of the border, and ask the child to look for a piece with those characteristics Ask the child to try and rotate the puzzle piece into position. If this is unsuccessful, then gently move the piece so that it will be placed into position, instead of being forced Discreetly move appropriate puzzle pieces closer to the child's reach, so that it may be selected next. This may be useful when the child is becoming frustrated It may be helpful to let your child hear your thinking and problem solving strategies whilst doing the puzzle.
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