Puzzles have been iconic in early childhood education for decades. They help children meet a wide range of milestones relating to cognitive and fine motor development. They are a great way to introduce toddlers to games with rules.
Although puzzles are not open-ended or play-based, some children absolutely love them. Children can remain fixated at the puzzle table. As they work through the puzzles available to them, their educators will need to find new and more challenging ones.
EYLF learning outcomes
The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) asks children to take increasing responsibility for their own physical learning (3.2), which includes fine motor skills.
While completing puzzles, children develop learning dispositions such as confidence, commitment, enthusiasm and persistence (4.1). Educators can support children in this area by providing them with puzzles that offer an appropriate level of challenge. Gradually make the puzzles more challenging, and offer verbal encouragement when children become “stuck”.
To complete puzzles, children use problem-solving, experimentation and hypothesising (4.2). When puzzles share similar features, such as the shapes of jigsaw pieces, children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another (4.3).
Puzzle play connects children with natural and processed materials (4.4), like wood, paper and plastic.
Extending a child’s interest in puzzles
- How do you respond to a child's interest in puzzles?
- Can't you keep giving them more puzzles? How do I make my provisions more thoughtful?
- What happens when the child has completed every puzzle in the store room?
- Why do we keep losing so many jigsaw pieces!?
Early childhood educators often fall into the trap of placing puzzles on a table and thinking their job is done. Here are some ways to provide puzzles with intention and meaning…
Choose puzzles by their type
Puzzles are often designed with a developmental stage in mind. Select puzzles that meet the needs of your children. Toddlers will require a few large wooden pieces and possibly knobs to hold them with. The shapes will need to be simple so they can see where they fit.
As children become competent with simple puzzles, increase their difficulty. Choose ones with:
- more pieces
- smaller pieces
- more complex shapes
- flexible materials, like cardboard instead of wood.
Puzzle types can include:
- textured/sensory puzzles
- jigsaws without borders
- jigsaws that promote themes of culture and inclusion
- puzzles that promote counting, patterns and sequencing
- three-dimensional puzzles
- extra-large floor puzzles.
Change the environment
Puzzles don't need to be set up at an indoor puzzle table. Try varying the learning environment and observe how this affects the play.
- Place puzzles on a mat on the floor, even for preschool children.
- Add puzzles to a quiet space in the outdoor environment. On a table in a cubby?
- Introduce large floor puzzles. Does this encourage teamwork and group play?
- Place one challenging puzzle on a small table with one chair. Encourage solitary play and persistence.
Make the most of lost pieces
Extend a child’s interest in puzzles by presenting jigsaw-related problems. This is a great discussion to have during group time, or it could pop up spontaneously during puzzle play.
Send children on an investigation to answer these questions:
- Why do we keep losing jigsaw pieces?
- How can we stop this?
- Where could they be? Can we go on a jigsaw treasure hunt?
- How can we keep our puzzles together when we aren't playing with them? (Placing the puzzle in a laundry wash bag is a popular idea!)
Involve the children in these learning experiences relating to lost pieces:
- Make a container with a label for collecting missing jigsaw pieces.
- Keep pieces from old puzzles for other activities. Use them as stamps for painting or trace around them at the drawing table.
- Make your own jigsaw pieces from cardboard to replace missing pieces.
Find new puzzles
If you don't have enough puzzles to challenge your children, consider asking other rooms at your service or even swapping puzzles at a sister service. When asking other educators to share their resources, motivate them by offering up something yourself.
You can also ask for donations of old puzzles from families. Explain that their children are progressing so fast and craving variety, and you can't keep up with their interest.
Local libraries often have puzzles to loan. Look through their catalogue and order puzzles with relevant themes.
Remember that children can make their own jigsaws! They could use pictures from magazines, photos they take themselves, drawings or paintings. Take away the puzzle table and set up a “puzzle-making” table!
Move away from jigsaws
In early childhood, the term puzzles usually refers to jigsaws. However, there are many other types of puzzles that could challenge and interest young children.
Any activity that involves cognition and problem solving can be considered a puzzle:
- Mazes
- Matching games
- Memory games
- Find-a-words (use children’s own names)
- Tangrams
- Riddles and brainteasers
Children who enjoy puzzles may also enjoy these experiences:
- Drawing shapes or tracing stencils.
- Block building that challenges fine motor skills (e.g. LEGO).
- Threading beads into patterns.
- Magnetic games or open-ended play with magnets.
- A scavenger hunt to find shapes in the environment.
Discussions
While some children enjoy puzzles as a solitary experience, educators can use puzzle play for intentional teaching. Talking with children while they play is an excellent way to find meaningful follow-up experiences that don't actually involve puzzles (e.g. a puzzle of a lion may provoke further learning about wild animals).
Sit alongside children and initiate these discussions:
- What shapes or colours can you see in the puzzle?
- Why did you choose this puzzle?
- Are you finding this one tricky? Would you like a friend to help?
- You can do this! Take a deep breath and try again. I'll stay and watch in case you need help.