Jigsaw

What your child learns

• Noticing details: this piece has a cow, that one has the sun, so where do they go?
• Spatial thinking: top, bottom, corners and edges; pieces with a straight side belong on the edge
• Seeing both the whole picture and its parts, and building something big out of small pieces
• Patience: if a piece does not fit, try another spot
• Naming familiar scenes: farm, ocean, space, city, garden, train, castle, rainbow, jungle, birthday party

How to play

1. Press "Play now". The board is on one side and the pieces wait in the tray.
2. Drag a piece onto the board. Put it near the right spot and it snaps in and stays; in the wrong spot it slides back to the tray.
3. You can also tap a piece, then tap a spot on the board to put it there.
4. On a computer: Tab picks a piece, Enter picks it up, the arrow keys choose a spot, Enter puts it down, Esc puts it back.
5. When the puzzle is done, the whole picture appears and your child hears its name.

For parents

• At first a puzzle has just 4 pieces and a faint copy of the picture on the board; as your child improves, puzzles grow to 12 pieces and the faint picture goes away.
• A tip to share: start with the pieces that have a straight side (the edges), and the ones with two straight sides are the corners.
• Stuck? The light bulb button glows: tap it to see a piece and its spot. Finishing without a hint earns a star.
• A piece dropped in the wrong spot just slides back to the tray and does not count as a mistake, so your child can try freely.
• Afterwards, ask "What animals are in the picture?" and let your child tell you about it.