Puzzle Pro

Samuel and Sydney each got a puzzle from one of their friends for their birthday this year and they are really enjoying them. Now, these aren't the typical toddler puzzles, with the wooden board and pegs on each piece. These puzzles are the real deal... where you pull aside all the straight edge pieces first and work from the outside in. Granted, there are only 24 pieces, but it still seems like a huge task for a 4-year old. However, Samuel has mastered his Blues Clues puzzle like a champ! I was talking on the phone today when he kept asking me for help. I told him to wait just a few minutes and I'd help when I got off the phone. So, a few minutes (or more) later when I hung up the phone, I walked over to where he was working on his puzzle and he had all but 2 pieces in place. I was so proud of him! If you think about it, it takes a lot of patience and concentration to complete a puzzle. And, it's so neat to witness those traits in my oldest son.

Now Sydney... that's a whole other story! She still has time. She usually takes a little longer to catch onto certain things, like writing her name, sounding out her letters, completing a puzzle, etc. I have no professional experience to base this on, but I wonder if some teacher down the road might recommend ADD medication for her. I sure hope not and hope that this is just a stage she'll grow out of soon.

In the meantime, we are thrilled to experience this current accomplishment with the kiddos. In fact, Samuel completed the puzzle again tonight with Daddy as his audience. When he put the last piece in place, Sammy showered him with praises, then stood up to get the camera so he could capture the moment on film. However, Samuel had already started destroying his masterpiece in true boy fashion! So typical of my big boy!!