I introduced this puzzle to Aimee when she was 2 years old. It was a great puzzle as it allowed us to engage in a conversation about animals from around the world. She knew each of the animals quite well. When she reached the age of preschool, I wondered if she knew more than just the names of the animals. So one day, I took out the puzzle and had a “question and answer” session with her. I removed all the puzzle pieces before posing her some questions. The rule was that if she knew the answer, she could then pick up the right animal puzzle piece and placed it into its slot.
Q: What animals are in black and white colours?
A: Pandas and Zebra. She fitted the panda and zebra pieces into their slots.
Q: What animals can roar?
A: Tiger! I told her that the lion and leopard could roar too.
Q: Which are sea animals?
A: Whale, dolphin, sea lion.
The questions went to food that the animals eat, their natural habitat and country they origignate from.
Q: Which animal live in the desert? She had no idea what a desert is.
Q: Which animals come from Australia?
Q: Which animals come from China?
Q: What does a panda eat?
There are lots of things we can teach our children with a puzzle, not just the name of the animals. The puzzle create more interest to a preschooler if we engage them in a learning conversation or even a game.
When she became more familiar with questions, she reversed the role with me. “Now, its my turn, Mummy,” she said. She led the way and I found myself answering her questions. She asked questions like,
Q: What animals can climb up a tree?
Q: What animals can swim in water?
Q: What animals have babies and which ones hatch eggs? I did not expect the range of questions from her. Since then, she learnt to construct her own questions and thought of more questions to ask. We should encourage them as when we grew older, we tend to ask less but there are still more things to learn of the world.