Puzzles

[Ellisha]

After reading the thread about puppets I thought I'd ask about puzzles! I have lots of them! My DS and DD were really into puzzles from about 18 months and still like them, but none of the mindees I have had since I started minding lasting year have been that bothered. I have one about seasons, a Dear Zoo one, an opposites one, a colours one, an alphabet one, and the list goes on! Do you have lots? Are your mindees into them?

[loocyloo]

:-) lol ... You are asking the wrong person! I LOVE puzzles :-) and have loads .. ranging from 3 piece lift out to 100 piece - wood and cardboard, covering lots of different themes/characters! I like that if a child is 'into' puzzles I can move them slowly up each stage and we have a bit of variety. Or if they are into vehicles or dinosaurs or whatever, I can offer a puzzle to extend their learning!
I do try and sift, but invariably I end up replacing!
I have a couple of mindees around 3 yrs old who love puzzles, but a couple of 4 yr olds who aren't bothered!

[blue bear]

I've also got lots, the current mindees really like the but have had the odd ones not really keen. I don't have them out all the time altough I have one tray at the childrens level and rotate them so they have different choices each week.

[mumofone]

My two year old is currently obsessed with them, it's lovely to watch him do them. Other mindees not bothered!

[Ellisha]

I really want my mindees to like puzzles but they lose interest really quickly! It's lovely to watch my 3 yo DS completing puzzles with no help, but I guess I devoted lots of time to doing them with him when he was younger.

[Maza]

I love my puzzles and can't part with them just yet. Like loocyloo I have different grades of puzzles and different subject matters. When you do get a mindee who is really into puzzles it really is lovely to see.

[FloraDora]

Puzzles are keepers.
Mine are accessible for free choice - I store them at child level on chopping board stands and are chosen daily.
I have a 10 minute session before pick up where we just do puzzles, graded to the child's ability.
Most other resources by then are tidied up, parents sometimes help them finish if it is bigger one and parent arrives a little earlier - it's a routine they like and easy to tidy for a swift finish to the day. Also, puzzles are not so enthralling that they don't want to go home because playing here is better.

[loocyloo]

Puzzles are keepers.
Mine are accessible for free choice - I store them at child level on chopping board stands and are chosen daily.
I have a 10 minute session before pick up where we just do puzzles, graded to the child's ability.
Most other resources by then are tidied up, parents sometimes help them finish if it is bigger one and parent arrives a little earlier - it's a routine they like and easy to tidy for a swift finish to the day. Also, puzzles are not so enthralling that they don't want to go home because playing here is better.

Oooo I like that idea... we either read stories or play board games, but puzzles are a good idea. Thank you x

[samb]

I like that idea too floradora- we always tidy up before dinner and have just 1 box to choose from after or books but think I'll start a puzzle time. I have 1 here who loves puzzles and is very good at them but most only do them if I'm doing them and they join in with a few pieces. I used to have loads but now I have less. I had lots of character - Disney princess ones mainly - that were passed down to me from many people. It just got too many! I now have about 6 big floor puzzles with different types - alphabet, numbers, construction, first words etc... Then have about 10 ranging from 2 piece to 100 piece. A couple of wooden ones for smaller learners and 6 peg boards and one I bought recently which I love which is like thin plastic with a shape that you stick on with Velcro on the matching shape eg a triangle on the sail of the boat. Really good for littlies. Oh ok I have more than I thought after my sort out lol!

[FloraDora]

I have a big house puzzle and I used to ask questions when it was completed - where is? What colour is? Who is in the kitchen? Etc to encourage these w word thinking. It also meant if the puzzle was finished I could eke out the activity until the door knocked!
They like it so much it has become a routine to answer questions about the picture - in a fun way and the LO's now make up the questions to ask me. It is a nice relaxing way to end the day.

[IndigoMoon]

Current little ones couldn't care less about them, but I have had LOs in the past who played them, mostly using the dinosaur pieces as toys rather than making the puzzles.(Peg puzzles)

I have a set of Gruffalo jigsaw puzzles that the older ones used to love (aged 3 - 5).

It just depends on the children and their interests.

[snortlet]

After reading the thread about puppets I thought I'd ask about puzzles! I have lots of them! My DS and DD were really into puzzles from about 18 months and still like them, but none of the mindees I have had since I started minding lasting year have been that bothered. I have one about seasons, a Dear Zoo one, an opposites one, a colours one, an alphabet one, and the list goes on! Do you have lots? Are your mindees into them?

A very interesting thread. It has prompted me to look at how we use our puzzles too. I like the idea of using them at the end of the day too. I will report back how it goes!