Puzzle Skills with Ellie

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I started working on puzzle skills with Ellie a long time ago. I began with the big chunky puzzles that have only 3 pieces. This was a great place to start because she had few choices. Also, the pieces had big knobs for her to grasp. She mastered these puzzles several months ago, even doing 2 of these puzzles at the same time.

So I decided to move her on to the next stage of toddler puzzles. I love this wooden shapes and colors puzzle from Melissa and Doug. You can work on colors and shapes but its appearance is very simplistic. I’m working on puzzle skills with Ellie for several reasons.

Puzzle skills with Ellie

Reason #1: Fine Motor Skills

It takes work and practice to get her little hands and fingers to hold the puzzle pieces. Manipulating the pieces to fit just right into their spots also takes work.

Reason #2: Learning Colors

Each puzzle piece has a different coloring. This offers a great opportunity to talk about the colors, learn them, and learn to match them.

Reason #3: Learning to Match

Learning to match objects is important for attention and memory. Ellie has to notice the color and shape of the puzzle piece. She has to look at her options on the board. Lastly, she has to remember which spot is the same as the pieces.

Reason #4: Problem Solving

Puzzles also help a toddler learn problem solving skills. Ellie has to learn how to get the pieces to fit into their correct spots. If it doesn’t fit she has to learn how to figure out why. Does the piece just need to be turned a little? Is it in the wrong spot because of it’s shape or color?

Melissa and Doug puzzle used to teach puzzle skills with Ellie.

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How do I help Ellie learn these puzzle skills?

I do several different things in the process of teaching puzzle skills with Ellie. In the beginning, I do a lot of hand-over-hand with her. The piece will be in Ellie’s hand but I hold her hand and we put the piece in it’s correct spot together. Also, in the beginning, I cover all of the other options except the correct one. This gives her only the correct choice and makes her get it right. Once she begins to understand what to do I uncover one or two more options. Eventually she has the whole board to choose from. Sometimes I’ll point to the right spot if she is not understanding what I want her to do.

An Important Part of the Process of Teaching Puzzle Skills with Ellie

I try not to talk too much while working on any new skill. Kids with down syndrome often times need a little bit longer to process what is being said to them. Keeping my words few and simple with pauses can give Ellie time to process what is being said and make her more successful.

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