Hello, my name is Tess and I'd like to show you some of the jigsaw puzzles that we have in our collection.
These jigsaw puzzles were used in schools in the 1950s and 60s. Our jigsaw puzzles are made of wood and they cover a range of diverse subjects such as animals, farms, transport and stories. They were used in kindergarten and in infants classrooms.
Playing with jigsaw puzzles enabled students to see differences in shapes, to match shapes and match pictures – all in preparation for learning to read. Handling of the pieces developed the small muscles in the fingers and hands to prepare them for learning to write.
Some of the jigsaw puzzles have labels. This helps the children learn that words have meaning.
We have several types of jigsaw puzzles in our collection – simple peg puzzles, framed puzzles and the block puzzles. The block puzzles are actually six puzzles in one.
Our favourite puzzle is the Bondi tram puzzle. We like it because when you take the pieces away it reveals the inner working of the tram. Students progressed from simple puzzles to more complex puzzles.
Jigsaw puzzles enabled students to learn through play.
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