The Montessori Puzzle Toy is a great way to engage, educate and entertain your children. It helps develop their motor skills, concentration, and cognitive development. These are a great addition to the toy cabinet of your kid and can even be used as birthday gifts or Christmas gifts. But the question now is? Are these puzzles aligned with the Montessori philosophy?
The answer is YES; these puzzles align with Montessori philosophy. When we say Montessori toy, it should be simple, functional, based on reality, and made of natural materials. Puzzles have all these elements.
This guide explains the various benefits of playing the Montessori puzzle and how it can help your child develop. This also go into detail about the best Montessori-aligned puzzles and how to choose the right one for your child.
What Benefits Does Your Child Get From Playing Montessori Puzzle?
We all want our children to grow up to be well-rounded individuals with vast knowledge and hobbies. Providing your child with materials or toys they can use to stimulate their minds can help them develop in many ways. Montessori-aligned puzzles are a great way to do so, as they stimulate your child’s mind and teach them how to think critically while having fun. Playing with Montessori puzzles provides a lot of benefits, and here are some of them:
1. Fine Motor Skills
Playing with puzzles involves the use of both hands. Young children who haven’t yet developed their fine motor skills benefit from having the opportunity to use both hands and learn how to use them in different situations. If a child doesn’t have the dexterity to hold a pencil, for example, they may be unable to write good or even cursive. Playing with puzzles teaches your child how to coordinate their fingers so that they can effectively use them as well as other parts of their body in different ways.
2. Spatial Awareness
Spatial awareness is a skill that children need in order to be able to recognize how objects are positioned in space. It’s one thing to identify a shape and its properties, but it’s another thing entirely to recognize how that shape fits into the world around them. Puzzles help children practice this aspect of spatial awareness by teaching them how two or more shapes fit together and how they can manipulate those shapes for their own purposes.
3. Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is yet another important aspect of puzzle play. Simply put, hand-eye coordination is the ability to connect the hand’s movements to what the eye sees. It’s an essential part of puzzle play because it ensures that children look at a puzzle piece and place it in its correct place in space. Without hand-eye coordination, puzzle play is a lost cause.
4. Problem Solving
Puzzle play involves a lot of investigation, observation, and focus. In order to solve puzzles, children need to be able to work through the process of elimination to determine how the puzzle fits together or how they can manipulate a puzzle piece into its correct place in the puzzle. Children also need to recognize effective problem-solving strategies and understand their limitations as they try different strategies.
Having good problem-solving skills can be very useful in future tasks when your child is tasked with solving problems in other areas of life. Instead of being overwhelmed by a new problem, your child can break it down into its component pieces and explore solutions from there. It helps them develop helpful strategies for dealing with problems as they arise.
5. Visual Perception
When kids construct puzzles, their eyes notice the pieces’ shapes, images, and forms, and all this information gets sent to their brains to interpret it. This is known as visual perception.
In the absence of this skill, a child will not know or understand why two simple puzzle pieces shall connect or how they fit into the bigger picture. Visual perception is essential for learning to write and read, making building puzzles an excellent early literacy and pre-writing activity.
Puzzles build several aspects of visual perception like:
- Visual discrimination – noticing similarities and differences in things
- Visual memory – is the ability to remember what you have seen.
- Visual comprehension – is the ability to make sense of what you see.
- Visual analysis and synthesis – the ability to see patterns and put them together.
6. Attention Span
Attention span is a good thing to develop in children. It’s essentially the ability to focus on something for an extended period of time without being distracted. Puzzles are a great way to develop your child’s attention span because the process of solving a puzzle needs tremendous focus and patience to finish the task.
7. Teamwork
Educational puzzles are great because they foster teamwork. What child wouldn’t want to play with a friend? Not only will they enjoy their company, but they’ll also learn how to build a solid friendships. Children must learn cooperation and teamwork at an early age, so focusing on this aspect of puzzle play is beneficial since it teaches your child how to work well in groups and accepts others into the team without any hesitation.
8. Early Math
Playing with puzzles is a great way to introduce early math concepts to children. The educational content of puzzles often includes numbers and shapes, two things that are vital in learning how to count and recognize the different geometric shapes. Puzzles for children, therefore, go beyond just the entertainment value they offer at the moment. They also give children a solid foundation for their future education, as they set them up for success later on. Developmental skills such as counting and recognizing shapes can lead to a well-rounded education, which children will appreciate.
9. Confidence
One of the most wonderful benefits of puzzles is that they help build confidence in children. When they finish a puzzle, they feel accomplished and proud of their accomplishment. They see that they’re able to accomplish something and prove themselves to be capable individuals with the dedication it takes to complete a job or task. It helps build their self-esteem and gives them the confidence to tackle other challenges as they come their way.
10. Relaxation
Playing the Montessori puzzle is an enjoyable activity for children. If a child is hyperactive, the puzzle can help him or her vent energy and calm down. It can also help a child under stress by giving them an outlet for their frustrations and anxieties. Puzzles are great for relieving tension.
Selecting the Right Montessori Puzzle for Your Preschooler
In Montessori philosophy, it’s vital to always meet your little one at their own developmental level. This is so kids can engage constructively in self-directed play. It means that, when selecting a puzzle for your little one, you must think carefully about how various puzzles can support your little one’s development.
Take note of your little one’s interests and the skills they have been working towards recently. Has your two-year-old child been doing lots of grabbing and sorting lately? Consider providing them with a simple, tactile puzzle that is convenient for small and gentle hands to grab and hold to help them enhance their spatial confidence.
Is your four-year-old child developing fine motor skills and demonstrating an interest in learning about the body? Choose a puzzle that can teach kids about anatomy while motivating them to fit together more complex shapes.
If your nine-year-old child’s spatial reasoning has improved, consider purchasing a 3D puzzle that will challenge him or her to explore complex patterns and movement.
All mentioned examples are Montessori-aligned, meaning they are functional, simple, made out of natural materials, and related to something in real life. However, any puzzle can be Montessori as long as you choose one appropriate for your child’s developmental needs and interests.
The Best Montessori-aligned Puzzles
Choosing the best Montessori puzzle for your child can be tricky and daunting. With so much variety in the market, you’re probably wondering where to start. In order to help you make the best choice, here are the most popular Montessori-aligned puzzles that are educational, fun, and safe.
For Infants
- Baby Step Silicone Puzzle Geometric Toy – This is an ideal puzzle for babies 6 to 24 months old as it is made of non-toxic silicone and does not contain any harmful chemicals. The puzzle is a great way to keep your baby occupied. The toy comes in 4 different shapes, which will help develop visual perception skills as well as hand-eye coordination in your child.
- Montessori Toy Shape Peg Puzzles – This is another great option for babies 6 to 24 months old as it is made of non-toxic plastic and is BPA-free. Montessori Toy Shape Peg Puzzles help develop eye-hand coordination while encouraging your baby’s motor skills.
For Toddlers
- Realistic Wooden Animal Puzzles – Montessori preferred realistic representations of animals over stylized or abstract ones. This wooden puzzle is perfect for toddlers between 3 to 5 years old and helps develop your child’s matching and recognition skills.
- Single or Multiple Shape Jumbo Knob Puzzles – Another awesome puzzle for toddlers is the jumbo knob puzzle. This puzzle is great for your little ones to introduce them to basic shapes like circles, squares, and triangles. Indeed it doesn’t matter if it’s a single-piece puzzle or a 50-piece puzzle; they will help your toddler improve their mental development, memory, and association skills.
For Preschoolers
- 5-Layer Wooden Boy Puzzle – An excellent Montessori puzzle you can provide to children interested in learning anatomy is the 5-layer wooden boy puzzle. This puzzle is designed to teach children about the human body, its different organs, and their functions. The pieces are easy for children to assemble and can be taken apart and put back together for hours of fun.
- Leaf Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles – Leaf Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles come with eight pieces of colorful 3D wood leaves, like autumn Maple leaves, Oak leaves, and Pine leaves. Used together, it triggers imaginative play. It has various shapes on the back, so you can identify which piece goes with which puzzle.
How Do You Introduce Your Child To A Montessori Puzzle?
Now you have found the best Montessori-aligned puzzles that are educational, fun, and safe. You have made the best decision regarding which puzzle to buy. So what exactly do you do next?
Here are a few tips that will help you introduce your child to their Montessori-aligned puzzle:
1. Ensure Your Child Is Ready for New Toy
First, you may need to ensure your child is ready for a new toy. This means that your child is becoming bored of the toys they already have and that they are calm to explore something new safely.
2. The Area Your Little One Is In Is Free Of Distraction
The next Montessori guideline to stick to is that you should ensure that your little one is in an area free of distraction and that the puzzle is their only focus.
Once your little one is ready and the space is free of distractions, it is time to introduce the puzzle! You can do this in various ways to stay true to the Montessori philosophy.
3. Allow Children To Explore It Independently
If your little one is curious about the puzzles, you can simply place the puzzle in front of your kids and allow them to explore it. Check if your kids can figure out how it works before you step in to offer assistance. This strategy not only inspires independence and confidence in your little one, but it also provides you a lot of insight into how they approach understanding something new!
4. Model How to Use It for Them
If you notice that your children are unsure of how to approach Montessori or unfamiliar with it, you can help them by modeling how to use it. Show your kids how the puzzle works. You can do this by going through some basic motions of putting a Montessori puzzle together.
Pick up two puzzle pieces that don’t fit together and try to join them, showing how it doesn’t work. Next, search for pieces that go together and join those pieces together. After you model for a couple of minutes, take the puzzle apart and allow your child to try it. Remember, You should let them watch you assemble the puzzle; don’t explain it to them! This way, your children’s minds are still engaged in the learning process with you.
Final Thoughts
The Montessori puzzle is a great stress-free and fun way to teach your little ones a wide range of basic concepts and skills. Whether you are looking for a simple baby puzzle, wooden toddler puzzle, or preschooler puzzle, there is something available for you here.
Montessori Academy understands how important the Montessori method is to your child. So we bring you the best toys that will allow your child’s curiosity to bloom and develop. A Montessori-aligned puzzle is an excellent learning tool for both preschoolers and pre-kindergarteners, so get your kid a couple and introduce them to this fascinating new activity!
