Advantages of puzzles for children

From early childhood until adulthood, we love to play with puzzles. We love the way they challenge our thinking and exercise our minds.

Puzzles are also an important educational learning tool for toddlers and young children as they provide many skill and cognitive benefits and learning opportunities.

Cognitive skills:

The puzzles come in a whole range of themes such as letters of the alphabet, shapes, vegetables, numbers, pets, transport and colours. It increases their visual spatial awareness and develops a deeper understanding of these themes and topics. All children learn differently and puzzles can be their medium for understanding certain topics such as the letters of the alphabet.

Troubleshooting :

Completing a puzzle, even the simplest of puzzles, sets one goal to achieve. Toddlers and children must think and develop strategies on how to approach achieving this goal. This process involves problem solving, reasoning skills and developing solutions that I can later transfer to my personal/adult life.

Development of fine motor skills:

Jigsaw puzzles are a fun way for children to develop and improve their fine motor skills. When playing with puzzles, children are asked to pick up, squeeze and grab pieces (some with small bumps, wedges or large parts) and move them around, fitting them into slots, sorting them and placing them in their correct places.

Hand-eye coordination:

Playing with puzzles requires a trial and error process that involves a lot of hand and eye manipulation. For example, as a toddler or child puts together a piece of a puzzle that doesn't fit, they will try again where their actions include what they actually see.

Social networks :

Jigsaw puzzles are an excellent educational tool to enhance and promote cooperative play. As children work together to complete the puzzle, they will discuss where the piece should go and why, take turns sharing and supporting each other when dealing with frustrations, and then share the joy of completing the puzzle.

Self-esteem:

Achieving a goal brings so much satisfaction to a child. Overcoming the challenges involved in solving the puzzle really gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride in themselves. This gives a boost to their confidence and self-esteem as it prepares them for other challenges in life.

Jigsaw puzzles are a fun educational toy that challenges young minds, teaching and preparing them early in life with some very important life skills.