Today’s post looks at how playing with a Tangram Puzzle can support the development of your child’s language and communication skills. Continue reading to find out more!
Vocabulary
- The Tangram Puzzle is effective in supporting the development of concepts such as colours (red, blue, yellow), shapes (triangle, square), sizes (big, small), and locations (top, bottom, in between) in a structured and fun way.
- Select a concept to focus on so that it’s not too overwhelming for your child.
- Teach the concepts before attempting the puzzle
- Lay out all the different shapes of the same colour and introduce the shapes by highlighting their characteristics (circle – no corners, round; square – 4 equal sides, 4 corners; rectangle – 2 long sides, 2 short sides, 4 corners)
- Discuss the different positions to place the pieces (top, bottom, in between, above, below, next to)
- Discuss what pieces needs to go on the puzzle first and where (e.g. let’s place the red triangle at the very bottom)
Following instructions
- You can also use the Tangram Puzzle to support your child’s ability to follow instructions.
- Hide the cheat sheet that shows solution for each puzzle, then provide verbal instructions to direct your child on which pieces to pick and where to place them.
- You can start with short instructions and gradually increase the length and complexity as your child becomes more confident
- 1 key word instruction: find the triangle; put it in the middle
- 2 key word instruction: find the red triangle; put it next to the circle
- 3 key word instruction: find two red triangles
Expressive language
- You can develop your child’s descriptive language by encouraging your child to use words to request for pieces
- Verbally prompt him/her by saying “what shape do you need? a circle, triangle, square, or rectangle?”. When your child chooses a shape, consolidate his/her learning by saying “you want a circle, can you say “I want a circle””.
- You can gradually increase the complexity of the language by adding numbers, colours, sizes into your child’s descriptive language e.g. “I want two blue circles”.
Related Blog Posts
If you liked this post you may also like:
Barrier games for fun learning!
5 sunny day ideas
About 18 month olds
Talk with me as I grow!
