Knobbed Puzzles

Puzzles are a great introductory exercise that allow students to match shapes and contour using their sense of sight and touch. The pincer grip is introduced with Knobbed Puzzles to refine a child’s control of movement, hand eye coordination, and sense of independence. This preliminary activity is a prerequisite for matching, transferring, comparing, and carrying exercises throughout the other areas of the classroom. The Sensorial Knobbed Cylinders will become a familiar extension to this activity as the child becomes more connected to the environment.

Points of Interest

• Carrying puzzle to table with two hands.
• Grasping knobs with TFG.
• Removing all puzzle pieces by the knob.
• Seeing puzzle pieces completed; seeing puzzle pieces on the table; and seeing puzzle pieces fit into the corresponding hole.

Control of Error

• Hearing noise of puzzle pieces being dumped.
• Dropping puzzle pieces because of improper grasp.
• Hearing a noise when setting puzzle pieces on the table.
• Placing a puzzle piece in the wrong hole.

Direct Aims

• To develop hand-eye coordination.
• To develop control of movement.
• To increase concentration.
• To provide a motive for activity.

Indirect Aims

• Preparation for writing
• Preparation for left to right sequence.

Aditional Exercises

• Doing a puzzle without knobs.
• Doing a jigsaw puzzle.
• Puzzles of varying sizes and number of pieces.
• Matching puzzle pieces on top of pictures.
• Placing puzzle pieces into stencils.

Extensions

• Peg Work
• Matching wooden shapes to colored printed objects.
• Placing shapes into hole of an object.