Every parent strives to provide the best environment for their children so they grow up to become educated, intelligent adults.
The things you teach your children at a very young age have the most impact on their learning abilities for the rest of their lives.
In addition to letting your children play outside, read and socialize with other children, there are many things you can do to help your children develop the skills they need to execute simple actions (like hand-eye coordination and motor skills).
Puzzles are a great way to stimulate a child's brain and help develop some of the most important skills they'll need for the future - not to mention, they're a lot of fun.
Below, we've listed 3 reasons why every parent should teach their children how to complete puzzles.
1.
Hand-Eye Coordination.
As we mentioned briefly above, many puzzles aid in developing a child's hand eye coordination.
It's very difficult for a young child to pick up a piece of a puzzle, turn it in the proper direction and place it where it belongs in the puzzle.
The more they practice, the more it becomes second nature to them and, before you know it, your child's hand-eye coordination is functioning fully.
Start with shape puzzles (the ones where the child has to put the shapes into the corresponding holes) at a very young age and work your way up to harder levels as they progress.
2.
Problem Solving Skills.
Puzzles are a great way to teach children how to overcome problems.
Many children become frustrated when trying to complete puzzles but the more they do them, the less frustrated they become.
The child begins to realize the importance of working through their difficulties and learns how to cope with frustration.
When they've completed the puzzle, they'll be happy and will likely want to try another.
This is an invaluable lesson to children.
3.
Memory Skills.
Puzzles are a proven method of stimulating a child's memory.
There are many types of puzzles designed specifically to help develop a child's memory.
If you can't find the right type of puzzle at the store, there are simple ways to teach your children how to remember.
Grab a deck of cards and sort through them until you find 5 pairs.
Flip the 10 cards over and ask your child to pick up the cards one at a time to try and find a pair.
If they flip over two cards and that don't match, they must flip the cards facedown and try again.
This will help immensely when it comes to your child's memory skills.
As it becomes easier, keep adding more cards to make it difficult and keep them challenged.
Puzzles are an easy, fun and affordable way to keep your children occupied and learning at the same time.
We hope you enjoy the information we've provided!