Do you think your child is past the age of puzzles? Think again! There are puzzles for all ages and they will allow him to develop many talents.
Puzzles are vastly underrated. When you do them as a family, they provide a perfect opportunity to talk about everyday life and cut yourself off from the rest of the world. The fact that they are ephemeral gives us a little lesson in letting go and for the little ones, it's a good way to develop several skills, including dexterity, fine motor skills and patience. However, we must choose them well and avoid having too high expectations of our children when making them.
What are puzzles for?
Of course, puzzles entertain children and help them pass the time. It is a good toy that has proven itself, but also teaches many things to our children. First, they teach them patience and perseverance, because you have to find the right place to put the coin and they can't find shortcuts or ways to cheat. There is only one good place to put your coin, and you have to find it.
It is also a good way to develop children's memory. When they donot find where their piece goes on the first try, they will take another one, but keep the first one in mind until they find its place. This is what will make them better over time.
Their fine motor skills will also be put to the test because puzzles can only be solved when you put the pieces in exactly the right place. There are many other skills that will be developed through play. The desire to surpass yourself with bigger and bigger puzzles, the desire to finish a job when you start it, the perception of colors and shapes, the sense of observation and self-confidence will be all a little sharper thanks to this family exercise.
At what age do you start puzzles?
Already at one year old, children can fit blocks of different shapes into pieces of wood or playhouses. Look like nothing, these toys prepare them for puzzles.
At around two years old, children can try making block puzzles containing only a few pieces. Generally, these block puzzles form multiple images depending on the exposed side. There are quite large, very colorful ones that represent scenes of the house or photos of nature, or smaller ones that are placed in a small cart that can be pulled by your child.
At three years old, your child has an easier time handling the blocks and can start making foam or cardboard puzzles if they have less than 10 pieces. He can now flip pieces withfairly fluent, but these pieces must be large enough for him to nest them easily, otherwise he will get discouraged more quickly. For children of this age, there are also puzzle books based on their favorite characters. Since every page is a puzzle, these books get them used to both loving books and doing puzzles.
Between four and five years old, it's easier for them to do a real puzzle. They can start making cardboard puzzles that we buy in a box and are very proud of it. Choose ones that form pictures they like and help them out a bit, especially the first time around. Ten-piece puzzles are great for getting started. When they are perfectly comfortable, you can choose from more difficult to more pieces.
A few things
Arm yourself with patience. Children may be grumpy at first because they will find this a bit more difficult game than others. You can help them a little, so that they want to play again.
Prefer easy. The goal is not to make your child progress as quickly as possible. Your child must have fun while playing. Choose a difficulty appropriate to his age and redo the same puzzles several times to gain his confidence.
Buy them together. Your child will be more eager to do a puzzle that he has chosen. You will find it in supermarkets, in toy stores, in certain pharmaciesand even in dollar stores.
Teach your child to flip the pieces on all sides. Over time, he'll learn to do it well and can even do puzzles on his own to pass the time while you're busy with other things.
