'Fun Activity 4' Added!
Thank you for purchasing KeepLearning! Puzzles - Why? jigsaw puzzle.
This unique educational jigsaw puzzle toy is designed to be a highly versatile speech and language learning tool.
Here are some activities for you and your child to enjoy. We know that the less time and effort you spend thinking about 'What do I do?', the more you can all enjoy learning and bonding over a fun game.
We welcome you to contribute more fun activities using the puzzle. If you would like to share your activities in this page, please use the feedback form on our Contact Us page.
The KeepLearning! Puzzles - Why? jigsaw puzzle consists of pieces of 4 different sizes. We will refer to them in order of size, which also corresponds to their positions in the sentences.
#1 pieces are the smallest pieces and first sections of the sentences,
#2 pieces are the next bigger pieces and second sections of the sentences, and so forth.
#4 pieces are the largest pieces and last sections of the sentences.
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Tips for Teaching: (helpful tips for anyone teaching - teachers or parents!)
Remember that teaching has a lot to do with controlling the pace or conditions for learning. A driving instructor will start students on straight quiet roads, not expressways; a juggler will start with perhaps just two balls, not seven fire-torches.
When playing with the puzzle, remember: you don't have to present your child with all the puzzle pieces at once. You can present just a selection of pieces each time.
Here we go. Have fun!
Start with the 4 pieces from one particular sentence: #1, #2, #3 and #4.
Encourage your child to look at the pictures, listen to/read the words or talk about each picture, and assemble the 4 pieces into a sentence.
Show your child how each completed sentence looks like a 'slice of pizza'. Improve your child's attention span by encouraging him to assemble another 'slice' for someone else.
(e.g. "This looks like a slice of pizza, doesn't it? Can you make one more for Mommy?")
Two random slices may not always fit side by side. More opportunity to extend attention span - "it looks like we may have to make one more slice so that we can put it next to this one."
The 'slices' will all fit together to form a complete round puzzle. Mission accomplished!
Benefits for Learners:
Our puzzle pieces are designed for flexibility as well as the right level of challenge. This means that the 'slices' will fit in different ways for a new look each time. However, not just any 'slice' will fit side-by-side: visual attention is called for!
Variations:
Start with all the pieces of a particular size e.g. all the #2 pieces.
Improve your child's attention span by encouraging her to keep fitting all the pieces together until the task is done. Voila! You'll get a 'ring'.
Once a 'ring' is completed, add pieces for another ring next to it.
This can be a smaller ring (e.g. all the #1 pieces) or a bigger ring (e.g. all the #3 pieces).
Look at the pictures, listen to/read the words or talk about each picture.
The 'rings' will all fit together to form a complete round puzzle. Mission accomplished!
Start with any #2 piece.
Look at the illustration and read the words.
Now, let's look for "Who ...... (does the action)?".
Show your child the correct corresponding #1 piece, together with one other choice.
As your child chooses the correct #1 piece (our learner-friendly features make this easy), she is answering 'Who' questions!
An example of question and answer using the puzzle:
Adult: "Here's 'blows the whistle'. Who blows the whistle? The queen?"
Adult presents 'the queen' puzzle piece.
Adult: "or the referee?"
Adult presents 'the referee' puzzle piece.
Child: "The referee."
Adult: "Yes, the referee blows the whistle, like this -!"
Tips For Teaching:
The fun with playing with people (rather than machines, computer etc) is that you can be spontaneous and creative! Use facial expressions, mime actions, produce sound effects! These are great memory boosters!)
Tips For Teaching:
Different levels or variations:
1. Adult does not use speech, just action. Child does not use speech, just action.
Adult presents a puzzle piece without asking the question verbally.
Allow the child to choose between the two choices of puzzle pieces without speaking either.
Allow the child to focus on the physical action and the response required.
2. Adult now asks the question verbally. Child responds with action.
When the child demonstrates understanding of what he/she is required to respond to, adult starts to introduce verbal questions with the same physical actions or gestures and encourage the child to continue responding with actions.
Adult: "Who blows the whistle? The referee? Or the queen?"
Adult offers the two puzzle pieces.
Child chooses the correct piece.
3. Adult now asks the 'Who' question and requires the child to indicate the answer verbally.
Adult: "Who blows the whistle? The queen? Or the referee?"
Child: "The referee"
Note that it is easier for the child to respond verbally correctly when the correct answer is the last choice given since that is the one she is likely to remember.
4. Move on to presenting the question without the choice of answers while still physically presenting the puzzle pieces.
Adult: "Who blows the whistle?"
Adult presents the two choices of puzzle pieces.
Child: "The referee."
5. Repeat the above with the other sentences in the jigsaw puzzle.
Have fun!
Place the characters of the puzzle on a Lazy Susan on a dining table (You can improvise with a Frisbee or any circular disc that can spin).
Spin once until each person faces a character.
Get each person to introduce him/herself as the character he/she is playing. E.g.: I am Bernie.
Get the person to expand on his/her character like his occupation, work place. E.g. : I'm a referee. I work at the stadium, sports complex, Olympics!... etc
Proceed to second inner ring of the puzzle that involves verbs. Think of other verbs associated with the character's activity /occupation.
Spin again to assign the subject of the verb. For example, 'hands out music instruments to __________ '. Change the subject to other characters for humorous outcomes.
The possibilities of this game are limited only by your imagination and resourcefulness!
P.S. Thanks to our client Jun for contributing this fun activity for the entire family!
Does your child speak too fast? Does your child need practice speaking fluently?
Objective:
This fun activity is useful for reinforcing practice of fluent speech and saying sentences fluently. It provides opportunity to practise saying sentences at the best speed or speech rate for the child which is comfortable, natural and not so fast that she or he will stumble over the words. Apart from the child's optimal speed or best speed, the activity can also be used for appropriate loudness (for the child who is speaking too loud or too soft) or optimal pitch (for the child who is speaking too high or too low) etc
This fun game should be played after the optimal speech speed, loudness, pitch etc has been established with the child so that he knows how he is expected to talk in this game.
How to play:
This game can be played alone although it works better with at least one other player and is more fun with more players up to a maximum of eight players in total.
Players sit in a circle. Place a box holding the Keep Learning! Jigsaw puzzle pieces (picture side down) in the middle of the circle within easy reach of everyone. Assign a player who gets to take out puzzle pieces. This can be the youngest player, the player with the longest name etc.
The goal of the game is to get the pieces you need to complete each sentence, give away what you don't need, and complete your sentence as quickly as possible.
Each player selects two jigsaw puzzle pieces of the same size randomly (i.e. two pieces, both the smallest size #1 pieces, or two pieces, both the largest size #4 pieces etc)
Each player needs only one piece of each size for his sentence and so decides which one he wants (for example, 'The queen') and which he is going to give away.
Here we go! Everyone gives away one puzzle piece to the player on his right. As each one gets one piece from the player from his left, either keep it or pass it on.
All the while, everyone asks for what he wants verbally and keeps talking until he gets it. The player in the example above may say something like "I'm looking for the queen pieces, I'm looking for the queen pieces, I'm looking for the queen pieces...", practising the most comfortable speed to talk at.
At the end of the every cycle with everyone giving one piece and receiving one piece, the person assigned puts one puzzle piece into the box and takes out one piece from the box so there is a new piece in circulation.
Everyone is talking! You don't have to say the same sentences. You may hear "I'm looking for the queen pieces, I'm looking for the queen pieces..." and "Where are the clown pieces? Where are the clown pieces?..."
A new piece also goes into circulation when you find yourself holding a piece someone else needs, you give it to her and get yourself a new piece from the box.
Yes, it can get a bit chaotic! Keep talking, keep practising and keep your ears open too! Have fun!
Give Your Child a Fun Early Start to Learning English Sentence Structure:
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