There are some age-appropriate puzzles available for your little one. Puzzles and learning puzzles can help with a number of learning areas, including motor skills, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Young children can benefit from puzzle play in many different ways such as learning and also for entertainment purposes. They are one of the best learning toys you can invest in for young children, and if you take good care of them, you can pass them on to younger siblings, cousins, or family friends. Read on for helpful information on doing puzzles with your child.
Doing puzzles together with the little ones generates an interest in the problem-solving attributes that puzzles bring. Younger children generally enjoy doing new things, such as learning activities, first with a parent. It’s a great one on one activity to do with your kids. You can start by showing your toddler how to put puzzle pieces together, and before long, your little one may choose to lead the way and eventually do the activity on her own.
There are some simple yet challenging puzzle options for young children including board puzzles where numbers or letters are placed in slots. By talking about the puzzle and identifying the pieces, you’ll help develop early reading skills and letter and number recognition. Some puzzles can also help with other areas, such as geography, telling time, learning about anatomy, nursery rhymes, letters of the alphabet, numbers, animals, and more.
If your child seems disinterested at first, don’t give up. It may take a few tries before interest grows and/or the skill is mastered. Once your child has done a puzzle a few times, he may want to rotate that activity so he doesn’t get bored too quickly. Many parents will also share puzzles with other families and rotate these educational activities so that others can enjoy a puzzle that has been played with many times. Keeping them in their box and encouraging children to put them away immediately after playing minimizes lost pieces and the frustration of trying to complete a puzzle only to realize she doesn’t have all the pieces.
As your child grows, there are more advanced options to develop learning skills or to help promote new skills. And, puzzles can be entertaining too, featuring your child’s favorite hobby or TV character.