10/10/2016
IT'S PUZZLE TIME
Puzzles are an important educational learning as they provide many skills and mental learning benefits and opportunities.
There are so many benefits from doing a puzzle. They include:
🎯 Cognitive Skills
Puzzles come in a whole range of themes and topics such as alphabet letters, shapes, vegetables, numbers, pets, transport and colours. It increases visual spacial awareness and develops a deeper understanding of these themes and topics. As all children learn differently, puzzles may be their medium for grasping an understanding of certain themes such as alphabet letters.
🎯 Problem Solving
Completing a puzzle, even the most simplest of puzzles sets a single goal to achieve. Thinking and developing strategies on how to approach is vital in achieving this goal. This process involves problem solving, reasoning skills and developing solutions which they can later be transferred into their personal/adult life.
🎯 Fine Motor Development
Puzzles are a fun way to develop and refine fine motor skills. When engaged in playing with puzzles, children are required to pick up, pinch and grasp pieces (some with small k***s, pegs or chunky pieces) and move them around, manipulating them into slots, sorting them and fitting them into the correct places.
🎯 Hand and Eye Coordination
Playing with puzzles requires a trial and error process which involves a lot of hand and eye manipulation. For example, as a toddler or child places a piece of the puzzle that does not fit, they will try all over again where their actions involve doing what they actually see.
🎯 Social
Puzzles are a great educational tool to enhance and promote cooperative play. As kids work together to complete a puzzle, they will discuss where a piece should go and why, take turns and share and support each other when handling frustration, then sharing the joy of finishing the puzzle.
🎯 Self Esteem
The accomplishment of achieving a goal brings so much satisfaction. Overcoming the challenges involved in solving a puzzle really gives a sense of achievement and pride within oneself. It provides a boost to self-confidence and self-esteem as this prepares one for other challenges in life.
Puzzles are a fun educational toy that challenges young minds, teaching and preparing them early in life some very important life skills.