Jigsaw Puzzle Games Help Kids Develop Cognitive Skills

A jigsaw puzzle can provide long-lasting entertainment and numerous benefits of promoting the cognitive development of children of all ages.

Puzzle solving activities can start at very early ages and continue as children get older. There are puzzles designed just for toddlers, with large wooden puzzle pieces or other durable puzzle games. For toddlers and preschool kids, solving a jigsaw puzzle helps improve basic skills such as hand-eye coordination because it requires the child to manipulate relatively small objects and to place those objects in specific places.

The benefits can continue into preteen, teen, and adult years with more challenging puzzles that require more advanced coordination as well as other benefits. As kids get older, they can advance to more challenging puzzles, which include a larger number of smaller pieces and more complex color patterns. For older kids, solving puzzle games can help develop analytical skills, communication and collaboration, logic and attention to details.

Puzzle games also improve a child's spatial skills. Solving a jigsaw puzzle requires the child to visualize a puzzle piece, and then to mentally rotate the puzzle piece up to 360 degrees to find that piece's accurate fit. This forces the child to move away from concrete thoughts and into a realm of abstract thoughts. He has to imagine the results of an action (in this case, the results of rotating a puzzle piece) not unlike a game of chess.

Puzzle solving improves a child's problem-solving and reasoning skills. The child is repeatedly presented with a problem while solving a jigsaw puzzle: how to make a particular piece fit into the overall puzzle. He will have to evaluate the shape of the puzzle as well as any colors or patterns presented on the puzzle, relative to the other pieces on the game board. He may have to flip or rotate the piece to make it fit. In some cases, he may have to flip or rotate the piece several times before he finds its place in the puzzle. Successfully solving this problem can give children the confidence to attempt more challenging puzzles.

A less-often recognized cognitive benefit of jigsaw puzzles is the picture on the puzzle. For example, solving a puzzle with a picture of the United States will familiarize a child with the geography of the United States. Jigsaw puzzles can also familiarize a child with a scene from history or literature. There is a great variety of puzzles available today making it easier than ever to find ones with an educational theme that appeals to your child. Themes include horse breeds, astronomy, trains, bible stories and more. Even text printed over a puzzle picture is learned particularly well, as a child is often required to study and read the final picture and the individual pieces repeatedly in order to solve the puzzle.

Often, solving a jigsaw puzzle will spark an interest in other types of problem-solving tasks and puzzle games, such as crosswords or word puzzles. However, the cognitive benefits of jigsaws alone cannot be discounted. These skills will overlap into many other areas of the child's life.

Salt Lake Temple Art - Mormon and LDS Artwork

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints build temples. Temples are sacred edifices that are used for holy worship. Temples in the Mormon church have the same purpose that temples in the Bible had. There are over 100 temples across the world in many different countries. The temple that is represented most in the form of art and artwork, is the Salt Lake Temple. The Salt Lake Temple took over 40 years to build under the direction of Brigham Young, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff.

This gray building built out of granite has a castle like look to it. The front has three towers pointing to heaven and likewise the back. These six towers represent the leadership of the church as there are six presiding officers: three for the spiritual welfare of the members and three for the physical well-being. There are also forty rooms found within the walls.

Although many temples exist all over the world the temple that is chosen to represent the church is the Salt lake temple. You will see pictures of this building on pamphlets produced by the church describing temples and their purpose and on the churches website. Many LDS jigsaw puzzles use this edifice as the image for the puzzle.

Why is this temple the most used in photograph, art, and other artwork, even though this temple was not the first completed by the Mormon church? One reason might be that the headquarters of the Mormon church is located in Salt Lake City. This is also in many ways the show case temple for the church. Every Christmas the grounds are lighted up with thousands of lights. Many people in Utah have fond memories of visiting the grounds every Christmas. There is also so much history in the building; as it is over 100 years old it is a way that members of the church can reflect upon the sacrifice of the early pioneers who worked for years to complete it.

Nearby are located other very important prominent buildings in the Mormon faith: the Tabernacle, the LDS Conference Center, the Assembly Hall, LDS museum of history and art, and other church office buildings. Every six months, the church holds a conference for a world wide audience that is broadcast all over the world, the temple is shown on screen during brief intermissions.

The temple has been photographed inside, and there are pictures of many of the rooms inside the temple. You can find them in LDS books such as "House of the Lord". In the mid part of the twentieth century, when the temple was being renovated and updated, pictures were taken of the inside prior to the rededication to give members of the church and others an inside look, which had never been done previously. Once a temple is dedicated cameras are not allowed inside.

Since America is new in comparison to Europe and other old monarchies of the world, America does not have many castles; this is a great example of American architecture at its best.

Counting Dots Dot to teach children skills in a fun

Dot to Dot puzzle, a classic that many of us remember from childhood is still a favorite of teachers and parents in the hope of encouraging children to count the work on their small motor skills. And, of course, kids love them too.

The development of motor skills is important for success in school and work dot-to-dot puzzles gives children the opportunity to practice grasping a pencil understand how sequence numbers work. In addition to his work asfun-process, point, point to offer a reward in the form the final image will be colored and displayed.

Dot points can be worked around with a pencil, pen or even pencils. But business dot points, as in life, mistakes can happen, then with a pencil in frustration can be avoided, especially with younger children, junior or perfectionists.

After the first introduction of children to bullet points, you might want to offer a little control. Encourage children to try the next numberin the sequence. It 'best to get a straight line and move from one place to another, and do not forget to connect this is the last point, or the image will not be complete! At the same time, do not insist that everything "just so". Children must be able to experiment and be creative, even if it means coloring outside the lines.

Dot points to have many variations, and some have worked with alphabet letters rather than numbers and spell some words. The difficulty level ranges from the needup the preschool. Sometimes it is immediately obvious what is the framework, while other designs keep interest rates almost to the last line is drawn.

Portable, choose items such as coloring are perfect for travel.'s Always the children involved and recommend a fair amount of time. Ensuring a good pencil and pastel.

Point by point as a favorite show that there are now versions for adults as well as online dot-to-dot activities.The Internet makes it easy to download and print immediately dot-to-dot puzzles, often free.

If you are looking for a fun activity, or you are building new ways of mobility (where small muscle movements in coordination with the eyes of job seekers), it is easy to connect "the dots" and understand why Dot to Dot Puzzle and activities are a good choice for home or school.

Copyright 2008 by Kevin Savoisy.

Coping With Advancing Years

"To know how to grow old is the master word of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living," says one wise man.

Better standards of living and higher education have prolonged life beyond the proverbial 'three score and ten,' Youth in its contempt for old age may call it "second childhood," but this can be a new and wonderful chance to grow, develop, and set forth on a voyage of rediscovery.

Times are changing. Science and Technology have gifted health and longevity to the aged. Better eyesight is ensured by Intra-ocular lens replacements and Laser surgery. Clogged arteries are treated with angioplasty and by-pass surgery. Hip surgery and prosthesis encourage physical activity. Drugs and vitamins put that youthful spring into elderly strides. So, the elderly have no excuse to be "feverish, selfish clods of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making them happy."

Age is a quality of mind. Human beings can be young at 70, or old and bent at 30. Age is not reckoned in years or graying hair. But a person turns old when he feels no zest for living, no interest or curiosity in one's environment, and no desire for adventure.

Age is not something to be terrified about, nor retirement to be considered the end of the world. Planning for this chapter of life, must begin well before retirement. There should be a determination to make every day worthwhile. Retirement ensures a great deal of freedom. One is no more tyrannized by the clock or job constraints. There are no deadlines to meet, and no colleagues to compete with. Dropping out of the rat race enables one to seek a deeper understanding of the meaning of life. However, this does not mean inactivity or idleness. Such a lifestyle would lead to boredom, loss of self-confidence and pity.

Dealing with retirement in a constructive way, and budgeting one's time intelligently, calls for a five-point formula.

BE CONFIDENT. Taking care of our emotional health is just as important as taking care of our physical health. We need to hold on to our self esteem and appreciate our own worth and importance. How we think, feel and behave defines our ability to enjoy life. A positive outlook will help cope with loneliness, rejection, disappointments and ensure quick recovery. Making appropriate decisions about our lives, and also staying connected to family, friends and life around us is important. Many old people cannot build up self confidence to do this because they do not genuinely love themselves.

INTELLECTUAL ABILITY. According to Dr. Howard Chertkow, Canadian expert on Ageing, 80% of old people retain their intellectual ability till the end, though some develop mild intellectual impairment, and a small percentage have dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

There are three kinds of memory - Episodic (for special events), Semantic (for knowledge and facts), and Implicit (for skills and exercises done automatically).

The latter two do not decline with age. Even Episodic memory is stable till mid-60. But a drop after the age of 70, like misplacing one's keys or forgetting to do something important is a normal ageing phenomenon.

Age related memory loss may be due to diminishing levels of dopamine which disturb chemical reactions in the brain. There is also a genetic component. Those whose parents had good memory, do better.

Multitasking however, may be difficult. It is better to tackle one job at a time.

The brain too needs exercising to keep it functioning well. Reading newspapers, books, solving cross word or sudoko puzzles, engaging in intellectually stimulating activities helps keep the brain active.

BE INTERESTING AND FLEXIBLE. Having a wide social network of friends of all ages is a definite advantage. This can stimulate exchange of ideas and friendly discussions, on topics of general interest. It also makes for good bonding with new friends.

Old people should keep abreast of contemporary issues. Those who read extensively for their own pleasure, are mentally more agile than those who are compelled to do so. Bibliophily opens up new worlds of literature, science, politics or history. Keeping the mind agile is to expose it to new stimuli. Psychologists believe that those who take an active interest in the world around them, have found the recipe for a long life. These people also show a higher I.Q, than those mired in self-pity.

Old people have vast general knowledge. They remember historical events and details of people and incidents which can be shared with youngsters. They can be good mentors to young people who seem directionless and confused in the present social milieu.

Mentoring grandchildren can be rewarding. One must be open to new ideas and trends and not stick to rigid views. Listening quietly and attentively will build confidence and trust. They will be more inclined to come for advice on their personal problems. Helping them grow into confident youngsters is satisfying.

Women who have retired from work or whose children have grown up can work as Mentor Mothers to underprivileged or abandoned children. They can take on the role of parent, teacher, guide or friend.

Having a spouse who stimulates one intellectually is also a great asset.

Joining a Senior Citizens group can be helpful. With travel concessions, it will be possible to organize excursions to interesting places.

BE ACTIVE. Aging is not a disease. Keeping fit through exercise can help maintain aerobic power. Walking is a simple exercise. Even 15 minutes of brisk walking everyday can be beneficial. Jogging, stretching, yoga, cycling, swimming, are other exercises that keep the limbs supple and the muscles flexible. The oxygen transport capacity of blood (oxygen delivered to the body at each heart-beat) is increased. Therefore, the brain also benefits. Mental alertness and performance improve. Those who exercise are about seven years ahead in cognitive abilities than those who lead sedentary lives. The aim should be to exercise regularly, but not too strenuously. Exercises should be planned, bearing in mind a person's physical strength.

An eighty year old man Fred Kasch used to run an Exercise Physiology Laboratory in San Diego. He made a difference in the lives of old people through his exercise schedules. His follow-up spanning two decades, led him to the conclusion that only 1/3 of the body's aerobic decline is due to old age. The rest is due to laziness and inactivity.

Regular exercises make one feel alive and full of vitality. It lowers the bad cholesterol in the body and reduces the risk of heart attacks, vascular disease and dementia by increasing the blood circulation. One must however know one's limits and not drop down with exhaustion.

Cultivating interesting hobbies can also help to keep one active. Philately, gardening, painting, reading, music and learning to play a musical instrument, can bring hours of pleasure. The computer has opened up the world to home-bound people. Arm-chair travel to exotic destinations, chat sessions with friends or relatives, scientific discoveries, political news! All there at one's fingertips! Many people begin to travel around the world, discovering new places and cultures after retirement, when family obligations are over, and there is time and money to spare.
Unfortunately, in India and other Eastern countries, inactivity is enforced on old people. They are considered fit only to keep their grand children amused. Sometimes they are overburdened with solicitude, at other times, they are neglected as non-entities. They may suffer from physical, psychological and economic abuse. About 33-47% suffer moderate abuse, and 19-42%,, severe abuse.

BE SOBER. At this stage in life, one eats to live. Moderation in drinking, eating, and smoking may be prudent. Current concepts of a healthy diet include fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.

Sea-food is rich in Vitamins A, D, B, and minerals such as zinc and calcium. Sea-food is said to relieve arthritis, improve vision, keep the immune system tuned up, and prevent common skin ailments.

Limiting meat and fat, cutting down on salt and sugar, and taking plenty of fruit and vegetables, can heal aging bodies. "No love is sincerer than the love for food," says Bernard Shaw. But over-eating and obesity can hasten aging. Fatty foods also cause strokes and brain damage.
Heavy alcohol intake causes red blood cells to stick together in wads. These clog capillaries, and cause atrophy of clusters of brain cells.

Age is no hindrance to sex. Old people need not feel restricted by the attitudes and prejudices of others.

Aging makes one vulnerable to diseases like Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease. Mini strokes affect blood flow to the brain and can cause dementia.

Periodic health check ups are important. One must discuss with the doctor details about the medication prescribed, and find out about side effects. Some drugs may have adverse effects on the brain.

BE PREPARED. Life is a journey with an end. In the evening of one's life, it is important to come to terms with death, dying and after. Faith in God is a buffer against stress, and is linked to a long and healthy life. The hope and optimism offered by religion, has a positive effect on one's immune system. Peace with God and one's fellowmen, makes the final exit easier.