Puzzle Play: An opportunity to learn something new every day!

Puzzle Play: An opportunity to learn something new every day!

Written by: Charlotte Pearson
Charlotte is a mum of four, sociologist and influencer on her platform Mummy Fever.


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Playing puzzles can be hugely beneficial for children. Not only are they fun, but they bring with them a whole host of educational and developmental benefits. When you become a parent, and start to play puzzles with your children, you realize that one of the amazing things about puzzles is that children are learning without even realizing they are. You can make the most of this by having lots of different types of puzzles and games for your children. From easy number puzzles and shape sorters to a range of other learning toys, children can learn valuable things every day while playing.

Some parents shy away from puzzles because they consider them to be messy, with the bits getting everywhere. There are so many benefits to paying puzzles together. Here are just a few:

Promotes fine motor development

The advancement of fine motor skills is a vital component of child development. Learning to grasp, turn, twist, and pick up small items are all key developmental skills that can be developed very early on in childhood.

Puzzles are a great way for children to advance and refine their fine motor skills. When children play with puzzles like the Sunny Valley Puzzle, they are required to pick up pieces, turn, and move them around until they fit. The process of trying to get the puzzle parts in the correct spaces is hugely beneficial in developing these fine motor skills.

Supports cognitive development

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Early cognitive development is crucial. This relates to how children think, how they explore and how they make sense of the world around them. These early cognitions help children’s brains to develop so they can learn, understand and process all the information they are exposed to as they grow.

Puzzles can be a useful way of supporting these early cognitions. Things like the Hape Toys Chunky Clock Puzzle are great for supporting cognitive development in children. These types of puzzles help children to explore how things work and figure them out. So, which numbers go where? Which way around do they go? What is a clock for anyway? All the time whilst playing with educational toys like these, children are improving the way they think and make sense of the world around them.

Children learn to problem-solve

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Developing good problem-solving skills as a child is something that can be so valuable once you become an adult. Simple puzzles can help with this. Every puzzle is designed to achieve a certain goal or an outcome. A child will have to think, process and experiment with different ways to solve that puzzle. For example with the Hape Numbers and Farm Animals Puzzle, children have to work out which pieces connect one another by looking at the numbers and animals. This process involves reasoning and developing solutions as they try to figure the puzzle out. There is of course room for lots of trial and error here, something that is itself beneficial as it helps children to further develop these skills. When one of the pieces doesn’t fit, the child will try another, or perhaps turn the existing piece around, or maybe flip it over. These are all skills we need as adults and they are developed in early childhood.

Teaches children to share

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Learning to share is one of the most important skills to acquire in childhood. As a parent, you might have felt that your child struggles to share, or your child may have been on the other side of a child who would not share at a playgroup, park or a nursery. Perhaps this has happened in your home between siblings. Learning how to share doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time.

However, cooperative play teaches children the values of sharing. Children often discuss who should go first, what goes where and why, whose turn is next, and so on – this way, they empathize and treat each other with kindness.  

Learn something new every day

Let’s face it, puzzles are fun! They are a chance to learn new things and just enjoy something different for a while. The Hape Solar System Puzzle is a really fun way to learn about planets in the solar system. When learning is fun, children (and grownups) are more likely to retain the information. Learning is always better when you don’t even know it’s happening. A great example of this is the Animated City Puzzle this comes with a 3D camera, so it’s a really fun activity, but children are also actively learning about the city, the buildings, and the environment.

Improves concentration

Children need to be able to concentrate in school to listen effectively and carry out the required learning tasks. Playing puzzles can improve both memory and concentration. It is possible to train the brain to be more focused. Experts suggest that just 15 minutes a day playing puzzles can improve concentration.

Why not try and race your friends around the world with the 2-in-1 World Tour Puzzle and Game ?

Why not think about introducing puzzling as a regular activity at home? You can get the whole family involved and learn together whilst bonding and having fun.

It’s not always as complicated as it seems. When playing puzzles together has so many benefits – why wouldn’t you introduce puzzle play?

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Hape Holding AG

Hape, (“hah-pay”), is a leader in designing and manufacturing high quality baby and children’s wooden toys made from sustainable materials. The eco-friendly company formed in 1986 by Founder and CEO Peter Handstein in Germany.

Hape produces the highest standards of quality through stringent control systems and a world class production facility. Hape brands are sold through specialty retail, toy stores, museum gift stores, school supply stores and select catalog and internet accounts in over 100 countries.

Hape has won numerous awards from prestigious independent toy testing groups for toy design, quality and safety. Find us also on Weibo(http://weibo.com/hapetoys) or “like” us at facebook(http://www.facebook.com/hapetoys)

For more information

Corporate PR
Telephone: +86 574 8681 9176
Fax:      +86 574 8688 9770
Email:    PR@happy-puzzle.com

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