Overview

Working with puzzles is a great way to strengthen the little muscles in your child’s hands, while also challenging their brains!

Tips & Tricks

• Start with puzzles with large, thick pieces, or pieces with knobs that make them easier to maneuver. As your child's skills improve, move to puzzles that have smaller pieces.

• Play with peg board toys, or make some at home using a cardboard tube and golf tees or play pegs (Like this!)

• Practicing other fine motor activities such as tearing paper, dropping coins into piggy banks, using tweezers or clothespins will all help develop the pinch required to pick up puzzle pieces.

• Build a mini clothes line out of string and encourage your child to hang socks, doll clothes, or small papers. You can also create a matching game by adding letters to the ends of clothespins and labeling a box with letters. Then, have your child clip the clothespin onto the matching letter on the box.