The power of puzzles are sometimes overlooked in the early year’s classroom.  They shouldn’t be as they are incredible brain building resources that children enjoy working on. 

Puzzles support our learners in so many ways:

• Sorting as they look for common patterns such as colour or straight edges
• Fine motor control as they manipulate the pieces
• Pride in taking all these parts and making a whole
• Focusing and concentrating especially for puzzles with more pieces
• Spatial Reasoning as they look at the pieces and turn each piece to see where it best fits
• Problem Solving as children plan their approach and as they encounter bumps in the road
• Collaboration as they work together on the larger floor puzzles
• And most importantly, persistence.  This is a mindset they will need throughout their learning journey

I am always interested to see how the children respond to puzzles.  I have noticed that some of my learners are puzzle masters – whereas others need scaffolding and modeling to be successful. 

Puzzles come in many shapes and sizes. I often start with matching puzzles before moving to more challenging puzzles. Puzzles with piece placement guidelines support our learners in being successful and builds a child’s sense of accomplishment. This year I have also started the year with several foam textured puzzles – these are easier to put together than the standard cardboard pieces – again, building successful feelings within the child.

The power of puzzles should be foremost in our minds as we select resources for our children at home and in the classroom. Puzzles are an important resource in my play-based Grade 1 classroom. 

Happy Learning,

Lynda