Nursery schools and summer camps for toddlers focus on combining learning with play in an effort to enhance early childhood development. One useful tool you’ll see in these facilities is jigsaw puzzles. Here are a few ways you can ensure your little one develops important life skills by encouraging them to play with puzzles. 

4 Ways Puzzles Can Aid in Early Childhood Development

1. Concentration

Keeping a child locked in on a particular task and holding their focus for more than a few minutes can be a challenge. Puzzles are an excellent tool to allow young ones to develop concentration. The process of opening a puzzle box, arranging the tiles, and going about fitting them together is a fun practice that can hold their attention and help expand their ability to focus and learn patience when pieces don’t fit perfectly the first time around. 

2. Hand-Eye Coordination

Puzzles for toddlers often include thick wooden pieces in various shapes and colors. Identifying each piece, picking it up, and working to place it with other pieces in a familiar picture or arrangement is a great way to hone their hand-eye coordination. Plus, they’ll start to recognize shapes that can ultimately help prepare a child for the process of learning numbers and letters. 

3. Spatial Awareness

Spatial awareness is the ability to notice your body in relation to other objects. Playing with jigsaw puzzles, noticing different shapes, colors, textures, and how each piece fits together will help your toddler start to understand this concept. In turn, they’ll be able to apply these ideas, thus improving their dexterity, sense of balance, and bodily safety when jumping and moving. 

4. Problem-Solving

Best of all, puzzles provide children with a very specific task and goal. By knowing the game is to arrange each puzzle piece to make a single image, they’ll hone their problem-solving skills as they test certain arrangements and patterns in order to create the final picture. 

If you’re in search of an independent, non-profit nursery school that prioritizes early childhood development through engaging play, Lucky Lane Nursery School is perfect for your family. Based in Creve Coeur, parents throughout St. Louis, MO, and the surrounding areas can depend on this team of dedicated, compassionate childcare workers to offer safe and mentally stimulating programs. To schedule a tour of this learning center, call today at (314) 434-4462. For more information on their enriching approach and over 65 years of experience serving local children, visit their website.