Puzzle Center
This is my puzzle center! Both pieces of furniture I attained free of charge from Scholastic Books for ordering so many books for my childcare and earning the bonus points. I have various puzzles for all different capabilities. There is a shape, color, counting puzzle, some transportation puzzle toys, feeling-color bears puzzle, 3-piece animal puzzles, magnetic puzzle people, maze puzzlers, cardboard puzzles, and many different wooden puzzles. There are also magnetic maze puzzles from Lakeshore on this stand, sensory puzzles, and self-help skills puzzles. I often rotate the puzzles and disinfect them often. On each shelf under the puzzles are laminated pictures with names to show what goes in each location.
If anyone has any suggestions of puzzles or resources that I should incorporate in this learning center......please share! I would love to hear from you =-}
Susan =-}
PS...This center is a stand-alone center. I have additional science puzzles in that center, musical puzzles in the music center and extra puzzles where we have table toys. We LOVE puzzles!
So, what do we learn from the Puzzle Center? When children play with the puzzles they work on their social/emotional development by cooperating with one another, sharing the pieces, the puzzles and building designs with their pieces. They develop self-confidence by completing a puzzle successfully since they are such great self-correcting toys.
ReplyDeleteChildren develop physically by practicing eye-hand coordination and refining their small muscle skills.
Cognitively children develop skills in problem-solving, matching, counting, color recognition, seriation, patterning and classifying.
Children work on language development with the puzzle center by using words to describe how they are putting their puzzles together. They may compare size, color and shapes while they put the puzzles together, work on visual discrimination, reading skills left-to-right progression, and matching similar objects.
How puzzles can align with the Developmental Continuum for Creative Curriculum:
ReplyDeleteResponsibility for Self and Others:
#5. Demonstrates self-direction and independence
#7. Respects and cares for classroom environment and materials
Prosocial Behavior:
#10. Plays well with others
Fine Motor:
#19. Controls small muscles in hands
#20. Coordinates eye-hand movement
Cognitive Development:
#24. Shows persistence in approaching tasks
#25. Explores cause and effect
Logical Thinking:
#27. Classifies objects
#28. Compares/measures
#29. Arrange objects in a series
#30. Recognizes patterns and can repeat them
#31. Shows awareness of time concepts and sequence
#32. Shows awareness of position and space
#33. Uses one-to-one correspondence
#34. Uses numbers and counting
Language Development:
#41. Answers questions
#42. Asks questions
Reading and Writing:
#45 Demonstrates understanding of print concepts
#46. Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet.
By choosing a wide range of developmentally appropriate puzzles there is so much children can learn from this center and a knowledgable, caring teacher.