Jigsaw puzzles
The purpose of this resource is to provide suggestions to whānau about how they can support mathematics by spending time doing jigsaw puzzles.
About this resource
This section provides some ideas for how you can raise awareness and share mathematics using everyday experiences and resources found around your home. It includes ideas for supporting your children’s learning in all areas of mathematics: geometry, measurement, statistics, algebra, and number.
This page provides suggestions as to how mathematics can be practiced by doing jigsaw puzzles.
Jigsaw puzzles
These range from the 10-piece pictures to trickier ones requiring you to imagine what the pictures are, or some that are 3-D or have no square edges, or even have a picture on both sides.
Each jigsaw requires us to use spatial awareness to fit things together and reconstruct a whole from the pieces. The skills of visualising and mentally or physically rotating pieces, and matching pattern and shape are key mathematical problem solving skills. Categorising and organising pieces helps to teach a child how to work in a logical way. Jigsaw puzzles are available from toy libraries, public libraries, op shops, and in toy departments. There are also many digital jigsaw puzzle sites online.
The quality of the images on this page may vary depending on the device you are using.