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The following excerpt is from an article written by Pamela Fallon entitled, "How Puzzles Aid Child Development."


Solving puzzles is a great way for young children to develop important hand-eye coordination and motor skills. The most basic of puzzles are those which include shape sorting, whereby a child is required to manipulate various shaped blocks and place them in the appropriately shaped slot. These are suitable for children as young as one, and will help them develop very basic problem solving skills as well as hand-eye coordination.

Introducing puzzles to children at a young age is an enjoyable way for them to develop important manual dexterity, memory, and coordination skills. As they get older, they will be able to advance to more complicated puzzles promoting development of language and numeric skills. It is important to help your child with puzzles initially. As they become more comfortable with the idea of puzzles, they will be able to complete them on their own, providing a rewarding experience for both you and your child. (1)

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The next excerpt is from an article entitled "Puzzles and Games for Preschoolers" from Family Education.

Learning with puzzles:
Puzzles help children learn to solve problems. By trying several ways to fit a puzzle piece in place, they are learning the value of flexible thinking, and of persistence. Their fine motor skills are sharpened by manipulating the pieces and fitting them in their proper space. Putting together a puzzle helps children actively practice important skills such as inference, deductive reasoning, and the notion that whole objects are generally made up of parts.

Large-piece puzzles (wood or heavy cardboard):
These toys work well for the younger pre-schooler, providing practice with eye/hand coordination, fine motor skills, and beginning experience in problem solving. Toddlers learn that if a piece doesn't fit one way, it may fit another and ultimately will fit somewhere if they keep trying.

Smaller-piece puzzles:
These will continue developing the previous concepts, but older pre-schoolers will sharpen their skills by learning to look for more details in exploring where the pieces go. Are there colors that go together? Does part of the puzzle picture appear on one piece and have its match on another? Can the edges of the puzzle help give it form? These are the beginnings of developing strategies for accomplishing a task, which is a crucial part of effective learning. (2)

(1)"How Puzzles Aid Child Development." EzineArticles 15 August 2006. 12 September 2007
  (ezinearticles.com/?How-Puzzles-Aid-Child-Development&id=260084)
(2)The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002 Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.