i bought my some the mellisa and doug wooden knob puzzles with the shape but he is more interested in banging them together than putting them in their slots. Is that normal for his age. Am I expecting too much?
Thanks
A 13 month isn’t likely to have the patience or skills to put together puzzles. Banging them is a lot more fun! What are the ages on the puzzles? I’m not saying the age guide is always appropriate, but it is for some kids. I got some of the simple puzzles for my son’s first birthday, and he was able to put them together after a little practice. The M&D shapes puzzle was the easiest for him to master, and it’s great for teaching shapes.
You should sit with your child and show him how to put the pieces in and explain how to match the pictures. Then you can let him hold a piece and guide his hand to put the piece in. After that, make a big deal about him putting in the piece. Make it a fun game. You may have to help him for a while before he gets the hang of it. It may take a couple of months. If he starts to get frustrated b/c he can’t do it by himself, then just help him finish the puzzle and put it away for a week or so.
I exposed to my kid puzzles since she was sitting up, she will play with them, get pieces and throw them, put them in her mouth…etc…when she started walking she will go to the puzzles area and make all the puzzles pieces go to the floor, she started laughing…etc. My point is she wasn’t ready to undertand who it works, besides her eye and hand coordination wasn’t ready yet, and her fine motor skills either to be able to accomplish making puzzles on her own.
Catalina is now 23 months old. Last week we were sitting in the floor with different puzzles( i was getting ready to help her with her little fingers, because sometimes she can get the piece in the puzzle) and for my surprise she did all the puzzles in her own, numbers, parts of the body,shapes,fruits ,vegetables and animals puzzles. I was really excited for the very first time after being practicing for months she did it!! I did nothing at all ,besides watching her do it.It took me a several months eh!
So she finally recognize each piece and put it where is goes using her little fingers to get the piece in all by hemself.
What I will suggest you to do , let your child play with them, get familiar to puzzles, by senses children learn faster…sit down with her even if she is not ready to do it, teach her, hold her little fingers puts the piece where it goes…when she grows she will have a better idea who puzzles work and it will be easy for him/her to do it.
Another good play idea for your child at 13 months is bulding blocks, it will help her to coordinate her fine motor skills developing her little finger muscles.
Good luck.
Hello,
I think the best thing to do is to start off with the knobbed puzzles as you did especially the ones that have the same picture painted in the slot. You can point out the similarities to him between the piece and the right place on the board. Also choose a puzzle with a picture that really interests him like cars or farm animals. Don’t worry though children develop eye hand co-ordination at different rates so he might not b ready for it just now, but with puzzles especially you need a lot of training and practice so the more you expose him to them the better he will get.