Sally's Blog

Hi

Since our personalised puzzles had gone down so well as an Early Years Resource, we decided to launch a website, purely for the puzzles, so that anyone could upload a photograph quickly and easily to order a puzzle. Have a look at www.elementalpuzzles.co.uk

Personalised puzzles are wonderful to engage children with puzzling - working on the theory that children learn more when they are excited by a toy that engages and involves them. Using images that are familiar to children to make their own personal jigsaw puzzles is an inspirational way to do this, and is proving really popular.

It made our week when one new customer emailed us to say "they arrived today and I am thrilled with them - the quality is great and the finish is super!..." It is great to know that we are on the right track. Our puzzles also each come in their own presentation box, so they are good for presents too.

For those of you in the Early Years profession, why not think about capturing learning stories with a puzzle - children can then revisit their learning again and again, and they can be kept within the setting to contribute to a sense of history for the children that attend. One pre-school sent us a group photo of all the children that had left this year, so that their contemporaries that remain next year, may remember all their old friends when they play with it. Great idea!

Sally.