Tuesday, July 7

Toddler Activity: Alternative Use For Puzzle Pieces

We have lots of wooden knob puzzles in our house. Right now, my oldest daughter is no longer interested in them because they are too easy and they are still a little too difficult for my youngest daughter. For a new activity, I turned the pieces into magnets for my youngest daughter to practice using the knob pieces.

For the activity I used a metal pan and taped on a landscape photo. Even better would be to match the photo to the group of pieces (a farm photo for farm animals, etc). I demonstrated how to pick up one piece using the knob and attach it to the pan. Using the knob was a new skill for her, as she naturally went to grab the entire piece. She quickly caught on and has been using the knobs ever since. These types of knob puzzles are very good for developing the pincer grip which is needed for writing and drawing as they get older.

To make the pieces magnetic, I securely duct taped a magnet on the back of each piece.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You could also use the sticky backed magnetic sheets available at Wal-Mart for a lesser choking hazard. Just trace around the puzzle piece and stick it on.
Jan

Melissa said...

Great idea!!! Thanks for sharing :)

Teresa said...

Great idea. Thanks!

Jess said...

Hey! Great idea. My girl loves magnets so this might be an idea I can adapt. cheers.

Unknown said...

I often use cut the magnets on the phone book and the ones Little Caesars gives away. They are thin, which works well,with tape, and FREE!