Teacher's tips

Level of Education: Elementary School - Preschool

Subject: Mathematics

Theme: Puzzle Animals

Age: 05 to 09 years old

Teaching mathematics nowadays requires that the teacher plans different classes, avoiding formula repetition and solving exercises in the book.

Puzzles are excellent activities because they exercise visual memory, stimulate motor coordination, and contribute to the development of problem-solving ability through logical reasoning. This game is very colorful and fun. With 18 different puzzles, it will awaken kids' imaginations. [FIM-DICA]

Learner outcomes

To develop logical thinking and self-confidence in problem-solving;

To analyze figures and expand the notions of composition and decomposition from the fragmentation of an image;

To understand the different positions of fragmented figures in an image;

To encourage cooperation among classmates by promoting activities in pairs or groups.

Teachers' goals

To offer the game as a didactic resource to reinforce the content worked in the classroom;

To widen students' knowledge;

To stimulate students' abilities of focus, logical thinking, and motor skills;

To enable the development of various thinking skills, such as observation, comparison, analysis, and the ability to synthesize.

Suggestions of approaches for the teacher

(Approach 1) Separate students in pairs or small groups to play in turns and share their ideas.

(Approach 2) Print some drawings and hand students colored strings to outline the figures.

(Approach 3) Create with students a mosaic using pieces of magazines.

(Approach 4) Play the “Spot the differences” game.

(Approach 5) Print several scrambled animals and put some facing right and some to the left. Tell students which ones are correct: animals facing to the right or the left. Then ask them to paint the incorrect animals.

(Approach 6) Print the figure of a large animal (A4 sheet), and divide it into three parts so the student finds the correct way to fit them.

(Approach 7) Bring the magic cube to the classroom, tell the story of how it was invented, and ask students to try to assemble it. Show them why it's so hard to do it.

(Approach 8) Introduce students to some board games, such as checkerboard and chess. Then divide them into groups so they can play.

More about the content

Teaching mathematics can't focus exclusively on exercises proposed in the didactic materials. It is necessary to incorporate other methodologies to contribute effectively to the development of students. Using online games to challenge and stimulate their problem-solving abilities is a great methodology.

Puzzles aim to stimulate logical thinking, that is the student's ability to come to a conclusion or to solve some problem coherently.

Using these resources allows students to find solutions or a reasonable explanation for the result they are looking for. Besides, when challenged, students tend to motivate themselves during classes.