Is the puzzle just a game? Children playing puzzles is not only a simple game, but also needs to have the abilities of visual attention, visual discrimination, visual memory, background-graphic discrimination, visual gestalt, spatial relative relationship and so on, in order to play puzzles happily!
Ability 1, visual attention 80 ~ 90% of information received by human beings from the environment comes from visual information, so the prerequisite of jigsaw puzzles is that children need to start eye movements independently to chase, locate and search puzzles on the desktop. Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children in the rehabilitation clinic, said that taking jigsaw puzzles as an example, the visual attention required includes several levels: (1) Can you notice the jigsaw puzzle in front of you? (2) After noticing the puzzle, can you continue to pay attention or be distracted at once; (3) Can you focus on the puzzles in the environment and ignore other irrelevant * * *, such as: grandma watching TV and brother crying; (4) When you need to pay attention to both the puzzle and the pattern on the box, you can allocate and use your attention appropriately.
Ability 2. Visual discrimination The ability to identify, pair and classify all the captured visual information is one of the basic abilities of jigsaw puzzles! Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, pointed out that children must be able to distinguish similar objects or images, such as strawberries and tomatoes, puppies and kittens, by their characteristics, so as to distinguish the subtle differences of objects and then distinguish the differences of objects; This ability helps children find spelling pictures that are closer to the original picture, and excludes spelling pictures whose shapes, colors or details are too different.
Ability 3. Visual memory Children have an impression of what they see, which is also one of the basic abilities needed to play jigsaw puzzles. Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, said that long-term and short-term memory can only be formed by comparing, classifying and storing the currently received vision with past experience. For example, if dad points to a circle and tells the child that it is a circle, the child will remember the shape of the circle, so that when he sees something round in the environment, he will call it a circle. After accumulating experience, children can distinguish circles from other shaped areas.
Ability 4, distinguish the background-graphic ability This refers to the ability to find a specific image in a messy background without being disturbed by other visual * * *. For example, children need to find a specific puzzle among many puzzles; Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, said that without this ability, it is often difficult for children to find things, and they can't identify the one they are looking for among many puzzles when doing puzzles.
Ability 5, visual gestalt Visual gestalt refers to the ability to identify complete graphics from local fragments, similar to the ability to see microscopic knowledge; Even if the shape and outline of the object are changed or incomplete, the child can still recognize the object, such as the kettle being blocked or knocked over by something. Although the shape and outline are incomplete, the child can still recognize that it is his kettle. Therefore, this ability is especially needed in jigsaw puzzles, because children should be able to find out what parts of jigsaw puzzles are missing.
Ability 6, spatial relative relationship Children can know the direction and position of objects in space and realize the relative relationship between objects; The importance of this ability is that children need to have the correct concept of direction as the basis, and can distinguish up, down, left, right, inside and outside directions, so as to identify the correct direction of the pattern in the messy puzzle and complete it by rotating the angle of the puzzle in time.
What should I do if I am 3 years old and still can't play puzzles? What are the benefits of children playing puzzles? In the process of putting together puzzles with children's brains, you can not only enjoy the fun and sense of accomplishment of the game, but also have many benefits for future development!
Benefits 1, Familiarity with daily necessities Because the patterns of the jigsaw puzzle are mostly based on things that children are familiar with every day, children can learn many daily necessities, such as animals, plants, food, transportation, etc. Through puzzles. When puzzles become more and more difficult, children also increase the breadth and depth of learning, and know more kinds and styles of objects, which is of positive help for children to establish a rich image database.
Benefit 2. Cultivate concentration as soon as possible. As mentioned above, jigsaw puzzles need the assistance of visual attention, and children use different types of attention to complete puzzles. It can be seen that puzzles are quite helpful to the development of concentration! In the process of activities, children must continue to pay attention to the outline and details of the puzzle in order to successfully complete a puzzle.
Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, suggested that parents should pay attention to the fun of experience activities and increase the experience of puzzles when playing puzzles with their children, instead of repeatedly targeting the speed of children's puzzles or demanding accuracy; No matter what children try to do with puzzles, it is worth encouraging rather than scolding, because children can continue to concentrate on activities, which is a good performance of concentration.
Benefit 3. Pave the way for literacy and writing. Puzzle involves visual cognitive ability, which is also dependent on later learning literacy and writing activities! When children are used to finding relevant clues from puzzles and paying attention to the outline of building blocks, they are naturally familiar with the learning and recognition of Chinese characters; Therefore, Lin Maoxun, a child functional therapist, said that kindergarten children are particularly suitable for playing jigsaw puzzles. Practicing at school or at home can be regarded as a preparatory activity before writing and reading.
Benefit 4. Promote hand-eye coordination. In addition to attention and cognition, puzzles need to be put in place, and then there is the action of "spelling"! In addition to identifying the right building blocks, puzzles also need to be carried out through visual guidance, which can induce the coordination and development of hand movements.
In addition to grasping with your fingertips, you need to transfer rotation between your fingers so that the found mosaic can be placed in the right position smoothly. Therefore, puzzles can help promote the coordination between hands and eyes. Generally speaking, the more difficult it is or the fewer pieces there are, the better hand-eye coordination is needed. For example, the hand-eye coordination ability required for plane puzzles and three-dimensional puzzles is very different, and three-dimensional puzzles need more skilled coordination skills to complete.
Benefit 5. Satisfy the sense of accomplishment and enhance self-confidence. Different from other combined toys, jigsaw puzzles piece together the whole from the clues of fragments, rather than combining them step by step according to the instructions. Therefore, in jigsaw puzzles, children will experience more setbacks and challenges than other toys or games and try to solve problems.
Lin Maoxun, a child functional therapist, pointed out that dad needs to play the role of cheerleading more than mommy and constantly guide children to try; Praise children when they finish puzzles and encourage them to share the finished products with others, so as to strengthen the positive experience of satisfying their sense of accomplishment. After accumulating experience in both challenges and successes, children will have confidence in their abilities and support the motivation to continue exploring.
What should I do if I am 3 years old and still can't play puzzles? What can parents do to help children play puzzles? Parents want their children to play puzzles, but don't just put a box of puzzles in front of them and let them explore by themselves. First of all, parents should choose puzzles suitable for their children's age; In the process of children's puzzles, observe whether the difficulty of puzzles is suitable for children, and guide children to complete puzzles through appropriate questions and hints.
Auxiliary 1, select and observe whether the difficulty is suitable for younger children. Playing puzzles with too many pieces and too complicated will not only cause frustration, but also indirectly encourage children to give up trying. Therefore, it is the father's responsibility, not the mother's, to help children choose age-appropriate puzzles, observe the quality of children's activities and whether they feel depressed or angry.
● 1 ~ 2 years old Generally speaking, simple two-piece combined toys can be provided for babies around 1 ~ 2 years old, such as small cans with lids, animal dolls, fruit toys, etc. Using the simple process of disassembly, let children understand the basic concept of combination and the concept of fragment-whole. In addition, a single wooden puzzle is also a good choice. Use simple basic geometric shapes, or objects and figures with obvious feature outlines, so that children can experience the collocation of the same shapes or features.
Choose a safe puzzle. Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, also reminded parents that when buying wooden or plastic puzzles, they should pay attention to whether the corners are sharp or uneven, smooth or blunt, so as to prevent children from scratching their fingers during the puzzle process.
● After 2 years old, children after 2 years old should grasp the principle that the difficulty is from simple to complex, the number of films is from less to more, and the color outline is clear; Take two puzzles of family members as an example, which are usually divided into two pieces: upper and lower or left and right. In addition to being easy to complete, it can also help children to establish the concepts of up, down, left and right, and begin to further link the concepts of head above and feet below.
● Children aged 3-4 can gradually increase to 10, and the shape is not limited to a square. When the child completes the pattern, the father will praise and encourage the mother to continue to challenge; If children find it difficult, they might as well practice in reverse order, that is, leave the last two pieces to the children to fight, then break up the remaining three pieces and reorganize them, gradually increasing the number of pieces that the children can complete themselves, and so on.
● Children after the age of 4 should be able to complete 30 puzzles. There are many cartoon series in bookstores that belong to this category, which can guide children to choose interesting themes or patterns and increase their motivation to finish.
Help 2. Let the children work as jigsaw puzzles. Dad usually doesn't put the jigsaw puzzle directly in front of the baby and let him explore it alone, but participates with the children. Therefore, the jigsaw puzzle can be regarded as a parent-child interaction and cooperation activity in essence. Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, suggested that when teaching children how to do it, you might as well ask them if they have seen a picture of a clue, or ask them to help make a jigsaw puzzle, so that they can be a little helper in the jigsaw puzzle activity, and it is easier to guide them into the situation; In addition, when children feel that they don't need to do everything, but that their father is a better partner than their mother, they are more motivated to try.
Help 3. Being a good coach from the sidelines Since jigsaw puzzles are a great parent-child activity, teamwork is very important! Think of the child as a little player. Dad is a bigger instructor or coach than Mommy, guiding the child to observe and think, instead of directly replacing the child. For example, "Cai Xiao, look, is this red color very similar to that one?" This area looks like blue sky and white clouds. Where do you think it should be put? It seems that the shoes are upside down in this direction. I wonder if I can look around? 」
By asking appropriate questions and suggestive clues, children can observe their own behavior, think from problems and develop their ability to solve problems; In fact, it is not necessary for dad to help the children solve puzzles more personally than mommy, so as not to stifle the opportunities for children to explore and try themselves, because solving puzzles emphasizes hands-on and learning from practice. When children succeed from failed attempts again and again, that sense of accomplishment will last for a long time, more lasting than other types of toys.
Because everyone uses different skills in jigsaw puzzles, for example, some people are used to starting from the corners, while others are used to starting from the subject with obvious characteristics. Therefore, Lin Maoxun's functional therapist reminds parents that it is also important to let their children develop puzzles or sequences themselves, and it is not necessary to force their children to play in a better way than their mothers.
What should I do if I am 3 years old and still can't play puzzles? What NG behaviors should parents avoid when children play puzzles? It's like calculating exam scores. Some anxious fathers want their children to put together more puzzles than mommy, so it becomes a piece-by-piece calculation. Excessive obsession with the number of puzzles will have the opposite effect. What other NG behaviors may parents have when playing puzzles for their children?
NG 1, only buy the puzzles you think are suitable. A jigsaw puzzle is an image-based toy. When it is finished, it is like a painting. It can not only be decomposed and reorganized, but also be glued and fixed into a work like a work. Therefore, it is very important to consider children's preferences for patterns on puzzles! Some dads buy daily necessities directly when they see puzzles in the exhibition hall, regardless of whether their children like them or not, or even their age; This will not only arouse children's interest in trying, but also give up the puzzle because it is too difficult. When taking children shopping, you might as well start with patterns that children are familiar with or particularly interested in, so that you can get twice the result with half the effort.
NG2。 I often hear my parents complain that I am obsessed with puzzles. Why did my children like to play puzzles at first and can spell out 54 pieces? Until they bought 108 and 150, they didn't fight at all and let it raise dust! Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, observed that fathers are more likely to fall into myths than mothers. Anyway, the more pieces you buy, the more pieces you get.
In fact, let the children stay in a certain number of pieces several times. For example, they buy 54 puzzles in a row, and the completed puzzles can be disassembled and reorganized within a few weeks, so that children can be familiar with them again and again before considering advancing. It's not hard to get it every time. After all, jigsaw puzzles are an activity to cultivate patience, concentration, frustration tolerance and problem-solving ability, rather than passing the exam with full marks every time. The harder it is, the better.
NG3。 Replace physical puzzles with tablet games. Some dads react faster than their mothers to the fact that there are also educational software in tablets. Why do children operate physical puzzles? Moreover, the tablet computer is easy to carry, not easy to lose and not scattered all over the floor, so don't buy puzzles for children to try. Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, pointed out that in fact, the puzzles mentioned above can improve hand-eye coordination, because physical puzzles can provide children with more opportunities for real operation, such as rotation, palm-finger transfer, grasping, even pressing and touching different tactile sensations. These are not provided by tablets; In addition, physical puzzles will not harm your vision, while long-term use of tablet computers will easily cause permanent damage to children's vision.
NG4, a strict parent-child coach who has become overly dominant * * * Parents who often observe impatient expressions when participating in jigsaw puzzles can't help but directly help their children fight, or give orders and scold; Since jigsaw puzzle is a cooperative family activity, dad must be more patient than mommy, and be a coach who is willing to wait for the success of small players, rather than a strict teacher who is eager to ask and direct.
Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, pointed out that parents who are often overly dominant not only reduce their children's willingness to explore, but also undermine the good opportunity to cultivate parent-child relationship; If mom and dad find themselves impatient when waiting for their children to finish eating, or if they seem to get angry soon, they might as well get up and walk over and pour a drink or prepare snacks, and then finish eating with their children later. After all, when a child finds clues or solves problems by himself, doesn't it mean that he has grown up by himself?
NG5。 Forcing children to play jigsaw puzzles has many advantages, but some children may be reluctant to try jigsaw puzzles because they have had negative experiences in the past or didn't like them at first, so occasionally they will see conflicts between parents and children because they are forced to win prizes. Lin Maoxun, a child functional therapist, suggested that dad should first try to find out why children resist puzzles in a calm and similar way, because of lack of ability or low tolerance for setbacks. Or is the development of visual cognition backward? First understand the reasons why children are unwilling to try, instead of forcing children to play slogans that are helpful to children; Only when the child's problem is solved will he have a chance to discover the charm of the puzzle.
What should I do if I am 3 years old and still can't play puzzles? Although puzzles have many advantages, after all, they are a kind of toys, and there will always be times when their freshness expires. If you buy a new one every time, you will find many puzzles at home. So how can dad extend the shelf life of children's puzzles and even make unique puzzles at home?
Left step 1, it is better to get married than to leave. Usually, children will want to share a jigsaw puzzle with their families everywhere, so they usually don't break up and fight again immediately, just for a day or two, and their familiarity with the jigsaw puzzle is still there. Therefore, Lin Maoxun, a functional therapist for children, suggested that children's completed puzzles should be taken out for weeks or months before reviewing them. On the one hand, the child has forgotten how it was done at the beginning, and on the other hand, it has the freshness of just trying.
Step 2: Shape combination For younger children under 2 years old, parents can cut out basic shapes, such as triangles, circles, squares, etc., with clever and used cartons or colored cardboard that are common at home, and can also classify them according to different colors; Because puzzles need to have the basis of visual discrimination, it is natural to strengthen the ability of puzzles by letting babies practice the classification of toys with the same shape or color and cultivate the concept of children's discrimination.
Some ingenious mats in the workshop have jigsaw designs with detachable patterns of large numbers or shapes, which can also be used as collection and sorting equipment. For example, the clever combination of circular patterns into a box is specially designed for children to collect building blocks or toys with circular patterns; The advanced gameplay is to treat the clever floor mat as a huge puzzle, remove the style above and let the children combine and practice pressing two clever joints.
Step 3: Use a photo printer to help parents with children over 3 years old. Take pictures of toys (such as Iron Man) or daily necessities (shoes) that the baby often plays with, and then output them with a printer, and then cut the output image into two halves, up and down or left and right. Determine the number of pieces to be cut according to the child's ability, and then let the child practice reorganizing the pattern, and even paste it on drawing paper; Because they are familiar images in children's lives, they can not only enhance the motivation of participation, but also train children's ability to observe the outline of objects invisibly.
Lin Maoxun's current position: functional therapist for children in rehabilitation clinic. Education: Master's degree: Department of Children and Family Services, Shude University, Kaohsiung County. Part-time lecturer, Department of Children and Family Services, Shude University. Presided over the multi-potential development course for children in rehabilitation clinic. Gaoping Special Education Functional Therapist. Functional therapist, Department of Rehabilitation Early Treatment, Taitung Rongmin Hospital.