Jigsaw Puzzles are great for children of all ages. Jigsaw Puzzles benefit children in so many ways. Puzzles can keep your children entertained for some times and not only that but they are educational also. Jigsaw Puzzles can teach children so much about the world around them and they offer a great activity for you and your child to spend some quality time together, having fun and working together as part of a team.

1. Jigsaw Puzzles Help Children Learn:

- How to work together as a team, if building the jigsaw with someone else
- Independence as they can eventually make a jigsaw all on their own

2. Jigsaw Puzzles Help Children Develop:

- Hand-Eye Co-Ordination
- Fine and gross motor skills
- Logical thinking as the child will become increasingly better at building the jigsaw and know how best to build one
- Their understanding of different shapes and colours will expand, making it easier for them to identify shapes and colours correctly
- Their confidence and self esteem as they complete a jigsaw without any help at all or with very little help

3. Jigsaw Puzzles Give Children The Experience Of:

- Working with different materials, such as wood or cardboard
- Working with different textures

Benefits Of Building A Jigsaw Puzzle If The Child Is Building One 'With You' Or With 'A Friend'

If Buiding A Jigsaw With You, The Child:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Gets to spend quality time with you, this in turn makes her feel special,loved and worthy of time with you

2. Learns to communicate better as she is given the oppertunity to
communicate with you and share her thoughts and feelings as she has your full
attention

3. Can increase her vocabulary if you make a concious effort to introduce a few new words to your child, 'naturally' while building the jigsaw together

4. Can expand her imagination if you talk to her about the picture on the jigsaw when it is complete,
(for example: you can ask her to imagine were the bird in the Jigsaw is flying to or maybe why does the scarecrow in the jigsaw look so sad? Then allow your child time to imagine answers to these questions) This can be great fun as your child may come up with some very intelligent answers!

If Building A Jigsaw With A Friend, The Child:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Learns from her friend the way she builds a jigsaw

2. Learns to work out disagreements that may occur between her and her friend on her own or maybe with a little intervention from yourself. Either way your child is learning

3. Learns socialising skills

4. Learns to share and work together

5. May Increase her vocabulary by hearing her friend use words that she might not be that familiar with using herself

How Can You As A Parent Or Childcare Provider, Provide A Child With The Most Enriching Experience While Making A Jigsaw Puzzle?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well you can provide:

1. The setting, such as a non-disturbing environment

2. An appropriate place to build the jigsaw, Such as a flat surface to build the jigsaw on

3. The entusiasm and motivation that your child needs to finish the jigsaw

4. Assistance to your child if they get stuck, maybe by providing tips such as "turn all the pieces around so there facing the right way up etc" but only if asked for help

5. Age appropriate jigsaw so your child is able to complete the jigsaw without too much frustration, but yet still offers a challenge

6. Different kind of jigsaws, wooden ones, textured one, large ones and smaller ones

7. Jigsaws that have a learning incentive behind them, that relates to what yoiur child is learning at the time (e.g. Have a jigsaw were you have to link numbers in order etc)

8. A computer were your child can develop early computer skills by allowing them to build jigsaws online