JONATHAN'S JOURNEY TO 'STARTING PUZZLES'

It all really began quite organically for Jonathan, my son. Round about the time that he turned one, I realized that he had would often place the cap on his drinking bottle after he had finished drinking. Then I noticed it was happening with other things too-like he would try to screw back the vaseline cap onto its container or to fit his sister's Lego blocks together and pretty much try to 'fit in' anything that could be 'fitted onto' something else!

This got me excited and I thought he was ready for one-peice puzzles. So, without wasting time, I got him a puzzle with  about 8 different animal peices where he could fit each animal into its appropriate space! Well...I realized I was probably a little too ambitious. He did have the general concept of putting each piece into a particular space (probably from seeing his sister do her puzzles) but he had absolutely no clue about synchronizing the shapes and colours (being able to fit the right animal into it's correct space).

What I then did was to get him toys that he could start stacking together and that fit into each other. He naturally took to these and got acquainted with them easier!

His first to  'master'  were brightly coloured toys of various shapes that each fitted into their appropriate groove. He learnt that a star shape, for instance, goes into a star groove and not a triangular groove

The next toy he mastered was constructing a tower.

 He grew to understand that the biggest piece must go to the bottom, with the sizes getting smaller and smaller, the higher the tower went. The conceptualizing of the differing sizes and placing them in their correct order wasn't an overnight venture for him. He fumbled quite a bit, but the concept eventually developed.

Constructing a tower is something he doesn't even think about now, it's quite a smooth sail!

After having noticed that he was very comfortable with the shapes and the tower, I recently then re-introduced the one-piece board puzzle. Boy was I amazed! He so easily and so quickly got well-acquainted with it. 

He knew for instance, that a 'particular piece' fitted into a 'particular groove'. He was aware of the color of each piece and quickly associated that color and shape with a particular position on the board! Shapes and colours! 

He knew to WORK at 'fitting in' each piece if it didn't slide in easily the first time.  

He still needs to work at turning it 180 degrees round if its upside down, but at least he knows where the piece is supposed to be

That's been our journey! I know it's gonna be easier now as we start developing from 1pc puzzles to 2pcs, 4pcs, 8pcs and so forth. I think he has the basic concepts in place to develop his puzzle making skills. I don't know if he could have been ready to do puzzles at an earlier stage (than now, when he is almost 2years old) and I don't think there's a single route to acquiring the skills that are necessary. But this was OUR journey, and it was organic for Jonathan!

How did you go about introducing your child to the world of puzzles?

ACTIVITY BOOK FUN!!

If your kids are at the stage where they are starting to learn numbers and the alphabet - where they can color in, trace, cut and paste (which is probably anything from the age of three or four), then a 'collective' and fun way to get them to develop in these and other areas would come in the form of an activity book!

My daughter has ENJOYED learning to add and subtract by using activity books.  The approach used in these books is so creative and enjoyable that a child actually finds fun in 'work'. Some of the activities in these books actually include a lot of popular TV, movie and Disney characters, which make them even more 'alluring' for kids.

Activity books have saved me the effort of coming up with different exercises to keep her mind stimulated during school holiday breaks. They have also saved me the headaches of researching and figuring out what's appropriate or not appropriate for her age.

Activity books come with many 'activities' a child can enjoy, whilst developing cognitively in the process. These include:

- dot to dot activities

- differentiation (i.e. identifying the differences between two similar pictures)

- word construction 

- completion of pictures (where only one half or part of the picture is given as a guideline)

- word and number puzzles

- coloring in, cutting out and pasting

- preliminary writing skills such as tracing out numbers and letters on wipe-clean pages

So, if you would like your child to be doing a little more of what they are learning at school in the home environment...and actually have fun in the process...why not invest regularly in age appropriate activity books??

THE JOYS OF 'BUILDING BLOCKS'!!

 

With so many flashy toys around these days, one can't help wondering if there are still any benefits to the traditional wooden or plastic building blocks! Well, you'll be pleased to know that these 'good old toys' are still beneficial for your kids-cognitively, physically and even socially! And nowadays they come in various shapes, sizes, colours and materials...all aimed at achieving a common goal

My six year old daughter and 18month old son both enjoy playing with building blocks! The girl is obviously at a more advanced stage in her interaction with building blocks and often 'tells' elaborate stories through the things she constructs. The boy, on the other hand, is still new to the game and really just enjoys stacking together the various colors and shapes and breaking them all up again! Albeit - he too is developing in the process!

 The following are some of the benefits that come from playing with building blocks/construction toys:

1) Physical Benefit - Building blocks allow children to develop and improve both their gross and fine motor skills. As they reach for, lift, move and build the blocks it strengthens their fingers, hands, and arms as well as assisting in developing hand-eye coordination

2) Creative Benefit - Playing with blocks gives the child an opportunity to be creative as there are no limits to what they can build. It allows them to make their own design as well as give them the satisfaction of creating something on their own that did not exists before

3) Problem solving benefit - As they build and experiment with the different types of blocks they are also enhancing their problem solving skills; they learn firsthand what will and will not work. They develop skills in design, representation, balance and stability

4) Social Benefits - Block play encourages children to make friends and cooperate with one another. It encourages interaction and imagination as they strive together to solve problems. Research even suggests that kids become friendlier and more socially-savvy when they work on cooperative construction projects

5) Other cognitive benefits- Blocks encourage children to count, match, sort, group, add and subtract thus developing early math skills.  They also learn how to describe colors, shapes, sizes and positions as they build various structures

These are just a few pointers that have hopefully enlightened you on toys that you can invest in the next time you go toy shopping!

If you have building blocks in the home, what has your child's experience been with these? At what stage/age did your child start playing with building blocks?

IT'S BOARD GAME TIME!! Whooohooo!

Precious memories that clearly come to mind AGAIN, are those of the exciting times we shared as family-playing snakes&ladders, monopoly or scrabble! The heightened emotions! The competitive atmosphere! The sweet taste of victory! It's amazing how 'effectively' those games could divide us into alliances and rivals in just a matter of seconds! Some real life lessons on handling success and defeat were definitely learnt during the process!Oh my, WHAT FUN TIMES WE HAD!

Board games are a great way of bonding and spending quality time together as a family or among friends! Besides being so much fun, a lot is also learnt during the process. For instance, Monopoly gets you clued up in the world of property and trading, chess teaches you 'strategy' and scrabble builds your 'word knowledge'. 

Playing a board game is a very interactive, captivating and hands on activity that can replace hours spent in front of the TV or playing with video games. Amidst all the hoo-haa and fun, board games play a significant role in your child's cognitive development! 

Nowadays there is such a wide variety of board games available on the market and all age appropriate too! Create unforgettable childhood memories for your kids of quality times spent together as a family playing games!!

What games do you play in your home? What's your child's favourite board game? What was your favourite board game, growing up? What benefits have board games bought about in your home?

CAN BABIES/TODDLERS JOIN IN THE 'PUZZLE FUN' TOO?

Round about the time that my son turned one, I realized that he had would often place the cap on his drinking bottle after he had finished drinking. Then I noticed it was happening with other things too-like he would try to screw back the vaseline cap onto its container, or to fit his sister's Lego blocks together and pretty much try to 'fit in' anything that could be 'fitted onto' something else!

This got me excited and I thought he was ready for one-peice puzzles. So, without wasting time, I got him a puzzle with  about 6 different animals, where he could fit each animal into its appropriate space! Well...I realized I was probably a little too ambitious. He did have the general concept of putting each piece into a particular space(probably from seeing his sister do her puzzles), but he wasn't able to fit the right animal into it's correct space...(nonetheless, I took heart)

What I then did was to get him toys that he could start stacking together or that fit into each other. These, he has taken to beautifully! Obviously fumbled here and there a bit (often preferring to "demolish" than to stack!) but he got acquainted with them easier. He still needs to learn that a star shape goes into the star groove only and not the circular or triangular groove...but hey...we"ll get there.

I'm pretty sure these toys are developing in him the foundational skills necessary for taking on the board puzzles! I will be sure to let you know when he conquers the one-piece animal puzzle which is patiently waiting for him!

For those of you with babies&toddlers, what toys are you investing in them with the aim of developing them cognitively? What's your baby's favourite toy? How does your baby/toddler occupy herself?

CAN PUZZLES HELP TO BUILD A CHILD'S SELF CONFIDENCE?

My twin sister was quite the wiz-kid (now, wiz-mom!) during our high school years. She completed her O-level maths (passing with a smacking A!) a year earlier than the two year standard period which most of us do. So when we were doing our final year, she was already doing a higher level of mathematics called ADmaths. I vividly remember her working on these problems late into the night or in the wee hours of the morning and whenever she managed to solve a problem...THE JOY AND ELATION of accomplishment was astounding! She would scream, do a dance...anything to express the joy of 'I've done it again!' And somehow, her joy had a ripple effect on whoever was around when she had 'solved the problem' and we couldn't help but feel the same joy for her!

I see a similar 'sense of accomplishment' expressed in my daughter when she has 'conquered' another puzzle. (Okay, maybe not as dramatically expressed as my twin sister would but nonetheless- a definite expression of pride and joy!) She will parade the puzzle around for all to see! And often, she'll put the finished puzzle in a convenient place for her dad to also see and applaud when he comes home from work in the evening!I'd like to think that this activity has had a part in building her self-confidence because she has become more eager to take on new tasks(both familiar and unfamiliar). 

We all know that an applauded and celebrated child is a CONFIDENT child! So, the next time your child comes to you with a 'conquered puzzle!' (beside themselves with pride and joy at what they've done), know that another building block in their self confidence has just gone up! 

What activities have contributed in building your child's confidence? Any memorable episodes you can share with us?

MAKING PUZZLE TIME AN ENJOYABLE AND FUN EXPERIENCE!

Puzzle-making is an activity that demands quite a lot from a child...like concentrating and problem solving.  To a small child, such disciplines are WORK! If your children are anything like mine, they thrive on 'having fun whilst learning' and puzzles are no exception to this rule. So, here are some tips on funning-it all up from time to time!

1) Include puzzlemaking as one of your family quality times. One of our Twinkldonians, Constance Soutter, shared with us the other day on how the whole family had so much fun doing puzzles together! You could even throw in some popcorn& fancy delights to snack on during the process. (Puzzlemaking is a great way of committing about 20-30mins of your undivided attention to your child when you've come home from work and are too tired to jump around and pillow fight!)

2) Once your child has got a hang of the puzzle, you can start timing him on how long he takes to complete the puzzle. Each time he does it, he should aim to beat his previous time record

3) You can also compete with your child on completing puzzles or she can compete with her siblings

4) Another Twinkldonian, Tavonga C Goto, shared with us the other day on a certain puzzle book her daughters have that combines storytelling with puzzlemaking. I think that's pretty neat! I  know my daughter would certainly love that approach to Puzzlemaking!

What other ways do YOU think can be helpful in making puzzle building a more enjoyable experience for your child? What comes easier to you as a parent-playing rough and tumble with your kids or doing quieter activities such as puzzles or storytelling? Both are important for your child's development and for your own bonding with them 

MASTERING THE ART OF PUZZLE MAKING

It's amazing how we often approach the same matter differently because of the way we are all wired differently! This goes the same for our children!

Give a puzzle to one child and they'll approach it's construction by starting with the four outer corners, then filling in the borders and finally fitting in everything else in the middle! (Structured)

Another child will just start randomly, by picking any peice and then fitting in consequent ones according to their shapes and grooves! (Talk about trial and error!)

Another child, will use the full picture as a guideline for bringing the whole story together! (Working with the end result in mind)

And, I've realized that my own daughter uses the colours and details on the puzzle pieces to bring about her story together! 

The natural approach to solving a puzzle will be different for each child and there really is no wrong or right way. But there are certain guidelines you can follow to get your child started or to improve their approach...

1) Firstly you need to get the right puzzle! If it's either too easy or too hard for your child, your child will lose interest very quickly and not benefit from the activity. 

From about toddler age (1 year and older) you can start your child on toys that they can start stacking or that fit into each other. From there you can then move on to 1-piece puzzles, then 2-piece, 4-piece, 8-piece, 12piece and so forth. Go at the pace of your child but be consistent so that their progress is not slowed down by your inconsistency. You will know when they are ready to upgrade to the next level because of the speed and ease at which they carry out the activity!

2) Choose the right time and space for puzzle making! You aren't gonna get much done if the TV is blaring out loud, the baby is crying, your child is too tired, etc. The environment needs to be conducive for concentration

2) It helps to start with the end picture in mind when constructing a puzzle...or any goal in life really! So, have your child look at the full picture at beginning, especially if the puzzle is new. It's no harm for them to even refer to the picture from time to time as they are building the puzzle, in the initial stages of getting acquainted with the puzzle. But you want them to eventually move on to building the puzzle from memory and not by always referring to the picture

3) As mentioned earlier, you can help your child to identify the four outer corners of the puzzle, then all the border ones, so they can have the basic outline in place before filling in the rest of the detail. This should just be a guideline though because as they become more confident at the activity, they will probably discover their own unique approach.

These are a few practical tips that may be helpful in getting your child developed in the habit of puzzle making! Initially your involvement will be necessary but once they have mastered the art, yours will be just to purchase the appropriate puzzle  and ensure it's getting done. Im sure there are other helpful nuggets that you know about or have experienced with your own kids- DO SHARE!

Can puzzles teach a child to 'THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX'?

The other day, my daughter was doing a number puzzle as shown on the image above. She completed everything well and that was commendable. But what caught my attention was the (7-2=5) problem which I've outlined in red. The instructions given were to solve these problems either 'across' or 'downwards'. So, in my view the (7-2=5) outlined in green should have come easier than the one outlined in red, right? Well, she surprised me big time because she found the one outlined in red before the green one. That was an 'aha' moment for me! Something is definitely happening in her 'reasoning and problem solving world' and it's not limited to the conventional methods! Now imagine, what a mind (conditioned and developed from a tender age to be innovative), can contribute to society and technological advancement?? 

What changes have you noticed in your own child, from engaging in puzzles and other problem solving activities? Please share!!

WHY ALL THE BIG FUSS ABOUT PUZZLES??

If you have a child in nursery school or early primary, you have probably had their teacher advise that you encourage them to do more puzzles at home?! This activity comes easier and is more enjoyable for some kids than others, but it's necessary to get every child proficient in this activity( whether they like it or not) because puzzles are so important for developing many skills! 

I started doing puzzles with my daughter when she was three. She is six now, and she can comfortably build a 100-120peice puzzle.  Puzzles were never her favourite thing (and still aren't) but the skills she has developed through this exercise are benefiting her immensely in this foundational stage of building her numeracy and literacy skills. 

The following are some of the benefits brought about by puzzle making:

1) Concentration

2) Problem solving

3) Reasoning

4) Pre-reading skills

5)Matching and colour recognition

6) Fine motor control 

7)  Hand/eye coordination

8) Background/Foreground discrimination

All these skills are so vital for a child to grasp in their early stages in order for them to competently engage and excel at the higher levels of intellectual development. If you want your child to be confident and competent in school and beyond, invest well in these foundational disciplines! 

What other benefits of puzzle making can you share with us? What puzzle making benefits have you noticed in your own kids? Does your child enjoy puzzles? What challenges have you faced in this area of puzzle making? 

A GOOD STEWARD OF BOOKS!

One thing engrained in my sisters and I(from an early age) was the discipline of taking proper care of our books. We were made to believe that books ARE valuable and should therefore be handled likewise. It's sounds like a very simple principle to pass on to a child but the results are far reaching and actually translate onto other areas of one's life. Today, I still value books, handle them well and have naturally passed that down to my own kids, who (I KNOW), will effortlessly pass it down to their own kids! 

Here are a couple of things I was taught and have passed on to my children on the matter of being 'A Good Steward of Books'...

1) Have a designated area where you keep all your books (it's easier for children to develop the habit of packing away when they know WHERE to pack away)

2) Discourage eating and drinking whilst reading a book as this easily soils books

3) Instill the discipline of keeping reading books as READING books. Not to be scribbled, written or drawn on!

4) Encourage the use of a bookmarker. The habit of leaving a book opened(faced upside down) or folding the corner of a page(dog ears) will ensure that the book dilapidates very quickly!

5) If a book tears, be quick to mend it and teach your child to do the same. 

These are a few tips and I'm sure there are plenty more! Please do share with us your own helpful nuggets on this one! 

MAKING STORY TIME AN ENJOYABLE, MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE!

There is a 'special-somethingness' to story time that I've never been able to shake off (from my early childhood years right up until now-in my early thirties). The memories of my sisters and I huddled together on our parents' bed...completely enraptured in the gentle drone of mom's voice as we journeyed through various kingdoms, set in different eras, meeting all sorts of amazing characters...are still as vivid today as the whole story time experience was -a good 25t years ago!

I'm 33years old now and story time is still one of my favourite things! Nevermind my children...'I' LOOOVE  STORYTIME! This love for story time (nurtured from a tender age) undoubtedly oozed into a love for books and quite effortlessly and delightfully, 'the love' is now oozing onto my own kids! So, I really couldn't wait to share the next couple of nuggets that have helped to make story time an unforgettable experience for me and my children. I hope you'll find them helpful...

1) Choose a time when household activity is minimal. This is why bedtime is a great time to have STORYTIME as everybody is now in a 'winding down' mode. I have also found Saturday mornings to be really good for us too. Everybody usually lies in, no pressure to get going with day, everybody is relaxed...a perfect time to wrap into STORY TIME with the kids!

2) Choose a convenient place where there's minimal distraction. The bedroom(either your kids or yours) is usually a good choice as there is no distraction from TV, radio and other activities going on in the house. The kids bedroom is best for story time at night as you can conveniently tuck them into bed after. And for us, the Saturday morning story times usually happen on mom n dad's bed. The bedroom vibe is very relaxing and such an atmosphere is important for an enjoyable story time experience 

3) Have some physical contact going on during STORYTIME. You could have your child nestled in the crooks of your arms, or if they are many, huddled up closely around you, sitting on your laps...any form of some physical contact is a winner! It just makes the reading experience so much more intimate and special

4) Position the book in such a way as to ensure that your child has full view of how the story is progressing and can maybe even turn the pages themselves

5) Figure out the appropriate time span for your child. The younger they are, the shorter story time should be. If the book cannot be finished in one session, read it in stages.  You want story time to be short enough to still have your kids 'enraptured' at the end but long enough to have  a 'satisfying' feel, rather than a 'short lived' feel.

5) Always read the title of the book or story before you start-it builds anticipation! Read through the story at a pace that everyone can grasp. Read with expression and creativity, giving different voices to different characters in the book. Allow room for questions and comments as you go along. You could even pause for a demonstration or two, just to 'fun' it all up. If there are sentences that have an obvious finish line, start the sentence and let your child finish (i.e. and they lived...HAPPILY EVER AFTER!). At the end of the story, ask a couple of age appropriate questions. Nothing hectic-just more of a recap of the story. You could also ask them to sum up the story for you. My six year old daughter loves being given 'a turn' during and after story time thus our story times tend to be quite interactive. Make your kids participants of story time and not just spectators(leave spectating to the classroom environment!)

6) If expression doesn't come easily for you, then put some preparation into story time. Find a window during the day to browse through the book, cultivating ideas of how you can make the experience interactive and enjoyable. It will pay off...I PROMISE!

Story time is really more than just a time of 'growing an appetite for books' in your kids. It's also a great time to bond and have quality time with the kids. The warm fuzzy feel my children and I share during story time is quite like none other activity we do together. It's just a 'notch' more special!

So, to all the other lovers of story time, do share your own story time experience with your kids! If you had a great childhood experience in this area, we'd love to hear your account! If you have had to learn the art of story telling, without having previously experienced it in your childhood, we'd really appreciate hearing how you went about it! When is a good time and where is a good place, for story time in your household? 

WAYS TO GROW AN APPETITE FOR BOOKS IN A RELUCTANT READER

Developing 'book interest' in a reluctant reader, is probably not as easy as developing the habit from the onset of a child's development but the good news is that-IT CAN BE DONE!Some of the tips mentioned in the previous article(PRACTICAL TIPS ON HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD INTERESTED IN BOOKS) would also be helpful in this situation. Undoubtedly, your involvement and consistence on this matter is vital.

Reluctance to read often comes when a child:

1)Has difficulty reading and therefore finds the process quite challenging 

2)Simply has no interest and therefore finds reading/storytelling quite boring

If your child's situation is case 1, then you will need to engage their teacher on guidelines on how to help your child address the areas that he/she is finding difficulty in. It could be they did not master some skills necessary for reading, earlier on in their development. It would then just be a matter of revisiting these areas, under the guidance of a professional.

If your child's situation is case 1, the following suggestions might be helpful:

1) Find out what interests your child (i.e. favourite toys/TV characters/sport or activity). Look for books along these areas of interest and be involved in the reading experience. As the interest kicks in, you can move on to other topics. Let these books be readily accessible to them (i.e.

 on the bedside table, in the car, in their school bag...somewhere where they can easily see them and leisurely page through them)

2) Involve them in the selection process whenever you shop for books or borrow books from the library. You may not be keen on the subjects that attract them, or you may think the book is below or above their level...but if they are really keen on it...then indulge them-and help them where necessary, in the reading of the book. What you want, primarily, is to build interest.

3) Make the reading experience enjoyable and fun! If they can read for themselves, give them sizable targets to reach(ie 10 pages a day) after which they can give you feedback on what they have read, either in writing or verbally. What did they enjoy in the story? Who's their favourite character? What didn't they like?

Likewise, if your child isn't reading for themselves yet, YOU make the story time interesting, fun and interactive. If you need to prepare or practice a bit before story time, do so! It will help to build your child's enthusiasm for story time and consequently- books!

4) LISTEN to your child's stories, whenever they are in a storytelling mood. Storytelling goes hand in hand with reading. As they develop the art of storytelling, they are developing their imagination and creativity. Probe deeper, ask questions, give suggestions to help build the story. You will find that as they become more enthusiastic about telling stories, their enthusiasm for reading or listening to stories will also increase

5) Reward, celebrate and applaud PROGRESS(minor and major)! It could be just a thoughtful observation made or question asked during story time OR remembering the name of  a character during question time OR managing to read the stipulated number pages for the day OR even just flipping through a book on the ride back home from school! An encouraged child is a motivated child. The more motivated they are, the more likely they'll want to keep impressing you...THE BIGGER THEIR APPETITE FOR BOOKS WILL GROW!

If you are facing challenges in this area with your child, what do you think you could apply from what we have discussed that might help your child? If you have found a way around this issue, what methods have you employed to grow your child's appetite for books? What do YOU think might be the reason for your child's lack of interest in books?