Stimulate Your Child's Mind by Playing With Puzzles

Helping children to develop

It is even as young as two years old that your toddler will start to notice the differences and similarities in various objects. They will begin to sort objects into their appropriate patterns. Their brains are developing all the time and they are constantly looking around. Helping them by using various games will develop them even further.

Different forms of games that can help kids

Puzzles - teaching children to play with puzzles from a young age is one of the best things you can do for your kids. There are adults who still find the time to escape from the hectic lifestyles that we lead these days and get out a puzzle. Having something creative to do like this really does a lot for your brain. Obviously kids puzzle pieces are going to be a lot bigger, but as they develop and progress you will be able to get them something more advanced.

Teachers don't always provide kids with puzzles to do at school and it is a shame because it definitely encourages logical thinking and develops concentration and focus for the task ahead. Kids will have to think long and hard to find what piece goes where. It is also nice to have a activity, which is quiet for a change.

Matching Games - There are so many toys and games available for kids these days and it is nice to find something that kids are able to have fun with and at the same time really get something out of. There are a lot of online games, which you could encourage kids to try who play. Hopefully, they will start to see that educational games can also be just as fun as video games. Ultimately, you will want to drag them away from the computer and tell them that there is life other than that behind the computer screen.

When kids are still young, you don't have to go out and buy anything. For example you can just find a couple of cookie cutters and trace around those. Now your toddler will have to match the object to the correct shape. You can do this with various common household objects. As they develop you will find them looking at the finer details around them and matching different colors up. Matching socks up, for example and looking at the appropriate signs that they go together is one thing that they can do.

Have a selection of toys, which will consist of blocks of different colors as well as rings of different shapes that they can put onto a cone. Keep their brain active all the time by providing them with things to do and when you see that they have a certain stage then you can move onto something more advanced.

Memory Games - This is essential to develop your child's concentration and if you find that your child is losing concentration more than the average child then these are games that you will want to introduce more often. Siblings can enjoy playing card games together whilst you get on with the cooking in the kitchen. You still have to enjoy playing games with your kids. It shouldn't become a chore because this is where it becomes a problem. In fact this should be a time which you should really treasure.

An example of a card game is known as Pairs. All cards are laid out face down on the table. A pair of cards is turned over. The aim of this game is to turn over pairs of matching cards so deep concentration is needed. Games like these can be challenging, but they are definitely effective.

B Thomas is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and mother to three energetic kids who love to sit and play with puzzles and memory games. For more information on the many benefits of puzzles go to www.woodenpuzzlesforkids.org