Jigsaws - stimulating and educational (Jigsaws)

Member Name: poppyash

Product:	Jigsaws
Date:	15/07/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to hold and store

Disadvantages: None

Jigsaws can be boring and tedious to do but they can also be stimulating and educational especially for young children. Some of the products available today offer big chunky pieces in bright colours which not only offer a challenge but also a sense of achievement.

I recently purchased a Grafix puzzle box that has only 30 pieces called "When I grow up I want to be......" for £2.00

The idea is that there are 15 different puzzles made up of only twp pieces. It involves different characters doing different occupations and the idea is that you have to pick the two pieces to go together to get a picture of a person doing a job and the occupation is named.

Not very difficult for you and me but the pleasure it has given my grandchildren is amazing.

The pieces are brightly coloured, easy to handle and made of stiff card. Each picture is basically cut in half so you have to match the top half to the bottom. The pictures are clear depicting uniforms and some apparatus used. For example the nurse is in a white uniform. there is a simple drawing of and an ambulance in the background with a bottle of medicine and a spoon. The farmer has a pink pig and a bale of straw.

To use it I spread all the pieces on the coffee table and pick up one piece. I then ask the children aged 18months and 21/2 years what colour the card is and asked them to find the same colour. We then put the two pieces together to get a character. I then asked them what the character is doing. This process is repeated again and again. I then ask them questions about what they can see on each picture. My grand daughter is now able to read some of the words and is developing a lot more vocabulary. She is also capable of matching the puzzles without my help.

Summary: A brightly coloured puzzle for early years