This is not a classic review. I will not tell you how much my daughter liked this puzzle or how handy the hatbox is. No I will tell you why I like this puzzle as a teaching tool and how I used it. I will also post a video online in the near future where I use it. You can let your kids watch it and have them practice some English. This is not a sponsored ad like review. I just think it’s a good teaching tool example. As you can see these are also my personal pictures which aren’t very professional.
So it’s a puzzle you will say, they make the puzzle and you’re done. Well no this puzzle would be great as a one on one activity, but you could even use it as a group activity where the kids make the puzzle together. After that the fun starts.
First of all using it when homeschooling or giving a 1-1 lesson, in that case most of the talking will be done during the making of the puzzle. You could start by counting the pieces. After that you look at the picture of the puzzle as it progresses. There are several ways of doing this. You can point out that there are 4 seasons on the puzzle and ask if she or he knows the 4 seasons. After that you can ask to which season the part that they pick belong to and why depending on the level of English. Once the puzzle is finished you go over all the seasons and talk about those seasons. Ask about the child’s favorite season, why, etc Ask what they see in each season and practice counting count for example how many people they see or how many sunflowers there are. If you have child with limited language skills you can ask to point out the different season and to find several objects on the puzzle.
Using a puzzle in a group lesson is a bit tricky. If the group is not too big you can just do the puzzle as a group, but since there are only 36 pieces it’s a bit hard. You could provide several puzzles to groups of 4-6 students either several times the same puzzle or different puzzles. In both cases you let them first make the puzzle and then discuss among themselves a list of questions that you prepare for them. You go through the classroom and make sure they are using English and not their own language. In the case of all the groups using the same puzzle they can after that all answer to the questions in class. If they all have different puzzles they can all present their puzzle in class.
I always try to use different skills. This encourages the use of different parts of the brain together which is really beneficial for young learners. I would probably do some arts and crafts about the 4 seasons after this activity. I hope I gave you some teaching ideas.
Disclaimer: The reviewed product wasn’t subject to any sponsorship. I purchased it myself. I do am open to sponsorship, but will always mention it when I received a product to review.
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