THe Twenty-Four Piece Puzzle

At a church rummage sale I found some 24 piece puzzles for ages 3-6. I didn't really think my daughter was ready for them, but I got one to try it out. She loved it so much I went back and bought 3 more. They are challenging for her, but not overwhelming if I guide her through it, and she loves the accomplishment of having actually made the picture. On her Winnie the Poo puzzle, I have her gather all the pieces of Poo, and we locate the eyes, the nose, the feet, etc., and I say, "Does the foot go above the face or below the face?" and things like that to guide her to the right spot for the piece. If I know it is the right piece put she isn't putting it in the space the right way, I suggest she rotate it and show her how the pictures go together one way and not any other way. Then we do Tigger, Piglet, etc., and in the end they all fit together! I think this is really good for her developing a sense of parts/whole and spacial intelligence, but more importantly this is one of the better tools I have been able to find for building the mental capacity for creating visual art. To draw an original picture that you haven't seen or been taught to draw, you have to have the mental capacity to "see" something that isn't there on the page clearly enough to put it on the paper. I've scratched my head over how to teach this, if teaching it is even possible. But to work the puzzle, she is having to "see" what is missing and at what angles, etc. I think that is a good step.

Glue Art

My almost 3 year old is super into glue, but I'm not a big fan of letting her use it.  So we came up with a compromise that lets her enjoy practicing her Elmer glue skills without making a mess.  We begin by dabbing little spots of glue all over a sheet of paper.  I help her, and if too much glue gets in a spot or two it is not a big deal.  Then I start cutting out little shapes from construction paper - circles, squares, triangles - in various colors.  Once I have cut one shape out (it takes 2 seconds, she takes the shape and puts it on one of the spots of glue.  I can cut shapes faster than she can decide where to put them on the paper, and so we are both occupied through this process.  She LOVES doing this.  We have made little shape art presents for a lady in a nursing home, as a present for Grandma's birthday, and some for ourselves, as well.  It is easy, inexpensive, and satisfies her desire to explore working with glue.