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”.
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