| Last night, I took down an old favorite, the | | | | patience, and focus required. |
| ABC Floor Puzzle from Mudpuppy Press, to play | | | | |
| with my 22-month-old. The puzzle is made up | | | | Age 5-10: 100 piece puzzles are usually just |
| of 24 big 8" square pieces that fit easily | | | | right for ages 5-10. |
| together and are easily manouverable by a | | | | |
| little tyke. The box says 3+, but he enjoyed | | | | Age 8-11: 200 piece puzzles. |
| seeing the picture come together and was | | | | |
| pretty darn happy when he could fit one piece | | | | Age 10-12: 300+ piece puzzles will match the |
| to another. And I found it sufficiently | | | | skill level of 10-12 year olds. |
| stimulating to enjoy spending seven or eight | | | | |
| minutes down on the floor with it. Check out | | | | My daughter (age 6) and I often put together |
| Mudpuppy's other puzzles, too - they are well | | | | a 40 piece puzzle before bedtime. It's quick, |
| made and designed, and they come in boxes | | | | fun, and gives us a chance to wind down |
| that make storage easy. | | | | before the pre-bed routine. |
| | | | |
| There is something zen about putting a puzzle | | | | Recently, we also tried the highly |
| together. It has no real productive purpose | | | | recommended Global Puzzle. With 600 pieces |
| and is therefore very effective at driving | | | | and dimensions measuring three feet wide and |
| Type A family members up the wall, though | | | | 18 inches tall, it's a big, big puzzle. But |
| I've seen obsessive-compulsives unable to | | | | it's also a fun learning tool. Except for the |
| focus on anything else until every last piece | | | | oceans, most of the puzzle is made of pieces |
| was put in the puzzle. Me, I like it because | | | | in the shape of the countries they represent. |
| I think it focuses the brain on colors and | | | | The puzzle is somewhat fragile that way, |
| shapes and their inter-relationship. With | | | | since most countries do not naturally |
| Brain Awareness Week coming up, it's a good | | | | interlock with their neighbors. Some of the |
| time to think of incorporating puzzles to | | | | pieces are very small, though very tiny |
| stimulate neural pathway development (in your | | | | countries and US states are conglomerated |
| child) and maintenance (for you, old codger). | | | | into pieces that don't require a pair of |
| | | | tweezers to manipulate. My daughter, still at |
| A good puzzle is a great way to spend time | | | | six, was a bit young to do more than fit |
| with your kids. Here's a rough guide for | | | | together big pieces of land in the same color |
| puzzle size, though kids will vary greatly: | | | | (Antartica), but her grandmother and I spent |
| | | | two days trying to figure out where to put |
| Ages 1-3: Very simple block puzzles will help | | | | Cameroon and Madagascar. |
| the child understand relationships between | | | | |
| colors and shape. | | | | For a slightly older child (the box says nine |
| | | | years, but could go younger depending on the |
| Age 2-4: 20-35 piece traditional jigsaw | | | | child), and for most American adults, this |
| puzzles are appropriate. | | | | puzzle is a great exercise in humility as you |
| | | | realize you can't even get Canada or Latin |
| Ages 4-7: 60 piece traditional jigsaw puzzles | | | | America in the right order. It's also sold by |
| are perfect for most 5 year olds. Keep in | | | | the National Geographic on-line store. Highly |
| mind not only the size but the time, | | | | recommended. |