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?