Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Questions about puzzles

In the SON-R test that DD will do there is a task with puzzles where she has to do them but without example or knowing a priori what the picture looks like.

I was curious how many pieces could DD 4.5 do so I got some new puzzles, un-do them and put away the box with the drawings. DD did the 16-pieces without any difficulty. I am going to buy other puzzles with more pieces and see how far we get.

I am curious, how many pieces can your DCs do? - remember, without having a clue of what the final picute looks like.

My DS5 and DD3.5 got 48 piece puzzles for Easter that did not come with the final picture since they were in an egg. They were able to solve them in a few minutes. We don't really own any puzzles bigger than 50 pieces. Having a 1.5 year old DS as well makes bigger puzzle making near impossible right now.

My kids pretty much ignore the pictures for simple puzzles. This is what I remember. In all cases it was the first time they encountered the puzzles.

My older one could do 24 piece puzzle without the picture at 2.5 and 160 without the picture the month he turned 4.

My younger one is even better. He could do 50 piece puzzles at 23 months and 60-piece puzzle at 25 months, both without the pictures.

DS5 put together 600 piece puzzle without any help a few weeks ago. It was a major project for him and took him a few weeks to finish. He did use a picture for this one.

The most my DS (now 9) has done without a picture is 100-piece, probably about 3 yrs ago. He enjoys 500-1000 piece puzzles but we use the picture (I depend on it more than he does).

Wow!

I am really impressed !

DD was very hot on puzzles at 2.2 yrs. She got two puzzles of 15 pieces and I thought at the time they were too difficult for her. To my surprise she learnt them, but then she started the preschool and she stoped completely with them.

Right now, she is still reluctant with them. I know she is perfectly able to do 75 pieces - with picture - but she is afraid of making mistakes and I have to sit with her to 'help' her a little.

I am thinking now that maybe giving her new ones that do not have the picture may do the trick because a) she will be curious about what it looks like and b) she cannot judge in advance if it will be 'too difficult'.