Executive function
A toddler watches how a caregiver matches identical pictures.
Be Prepared: The activity uses a three-piece wooden knob puzzle with a picture under each piece. One possibility is the Melissa and Doug Barnyard Animals Wooden Puzzle. The activity description assumes a farm animal puzzle is used.
[Invite a toddler to join you at a table to watch you match some pictures. Put the fully assembled puzzle in front of the toddler. Sit next to the toddler.]
Look at this puzzle! It has pictures of animals that live on a farm.
[Point to each puzzle piece as you say the name and offer a brief description of the pictured animal. Example: “Here is a picture of a cow. The cow is wearing a bell.”
Remove the piece from the puzzle board after you describe it. Put the puzzle piece to the side of the puzzle board, in front of the toddler.
Continue this procedure for the remaining two puzzle pieces.
Then draw attention to the empty puzzle board.]
Look at what is on our puzzle board. There are pictures of farm animals here, too!
[Point to each picture as you say the name and briefly describe the pictured animal. Example: “Here is another picture of a cow! This cow is wearing a bell.”
Continue this procedure for the remaining two pictures on the puzzle board.]
There are pictures of farm animals on our puzzle board. There are pictures of farm animals on our puzzle pieces. Some of the pictures are the same!
I want to put together the pictures that are the same.
[Hold one of the puzzle pieces with its knob in front of the toddler.]
This is a picture of a cow. I want to remember where I saw the other picture of a cow. The pictures are the same. I want to put the pictures together.
[Point to pictures of animals on the puzzle board as you name each. Begin with the pictures that are different.]
Here is a picture of a horse. A horse and a cow are different animals.
Here is a picture of a sheep. A sheep and a cow are different animals.
Here is the other picture of a cow! These two pictures are the same. I am going to put these two pictures together.
[Put the puzzle piece over its identical picture on the puzzle board. Continue this procedure for the remaining two pictures. Each time, emphasize the pictures are the same. Example: “Cow and cow go together. Horse and horse go together.”]
[Point to your eyes.]
I used my eyes to look at pictures on our puzzle. You watched me look at the pictures. Some of the pictures are the same. I put together the pictures that are the same.
Executive function
A toddler matches identical pictures with caregiver guidance.
Be Prepared: The activity uses a three-piece wooden knob puzzle with a picture under each piece. One possibility is the Melissa and Doug Barnyard Animals Wooden Puzzle. The activity description assumes a farm animal puzzle is used. This activity is designed for a toddler who previously participated in Option 1.
Invite a toddler to join you at a table to work on a puzzle. Put the puzzle fully in front of the toddler. Sit next to the toddler. Explain that you will help the toddler take the puzzle apart and then put it back together. Then point to your eyes. Explain that we use our eyes to look carefully at pictures on our puzzle. Encourage the toddler to point to his/her eyes. Use the following steps:
Conclude the session by reminding the toddler that he/she used his/her eyes to look carefully at each picture. Recognize the toddler’s effort to put together pictures that are the same.
Both activity options promote the practice of focusing on characteristics of pictures, with the goal of putting together pictures that are the same. A knob puzzle is a useful material to use for this purpose because it can be easily manipulated, has built-in supports for putting together the same pictures, and is an item that is likely to be used independently at a later age. The activities also promote cognitive skills related to object inquiry. Option 2 also promotes fine motor skills related to managing puzzle pieces.
Toddlers generally differ in their approach to tasks that require focused attention. A toddler who seems to ignore the pictures or is highly eager to quickly put the puzzle pieces back into the puzzle board may need gentle reminders to slow down and look at each picture. There is no need to rush. Emphasize we are looking at pictures and putting together pictures that are the same. A toddler who seems uncertain about how to proceed may benefit from your slowly comparing a puzzle piece to a picture on the board, as demonstrated in Option 1 and as suggested in an Extra Support tip.
The Option 2 suggestion of putting the puzzle fully in front of the toddler is an indirect way to communicate the task and puzzle are for the toddler to pursue. This position of the puzzle also makes it easier for the toddler to look at each picture. Putting the puzzle between you and the toddler may communicate a different message about responsibility. Your role in Option 2 is one of providing active guidance when it is needed, not serving as an observer only. Toddlers at this age are not expected to work with puzzles independently. In the current activities, the puzzle is a tool for practicing how to focus.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: see activity description
Provide the puzzle used in the activity options plus other small sets of items that can be readily matched because they are the same. Possibilities include large picture cards, counters that represent different colors or types of figures, and soft blocks of different sizes or colors. Provide a small number of identical items in each set. Encourage toddlers to put together the same items in different sets. Example: after putting together picture cards that are the same, encourage a toddler to put together counters that are the same. The intent is to practice focusing on characteristics of different types of items.
Materials Needed: see activity description
Extend the Interest Area activity to preschool-age and older children in your setting by providing age-appropriate items. Preschool-age and older children will enjoy working on puzzles, and might wish to work together on some puzzles. Give more emphasis to the process of looking closely at characteristics of items than to the outcome.
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