Tons of Puzzle Fun!

Last week I bought several Mellisa and Doug Chunk Puzzles from a friend who is moving. I  really bought them for Ella, but I can't believe how much use Ryan has gotten out of them this week!
 

• The big chunky pieces are great for tracing! 
• You can practice ordinal numbers...The giraffe was first in line, the zebra was second. You can describe to them how to set the line up. Or set up the line and then ask them questions, such as 'Who is fourth in line?'
• You can put a piece into a bag or container. Without being able to see the piece have your child put their hand in and try and guess which piece they're feeling. They may need some help, such as 'Do you feel legs?" This game may take some practice, but developmentally it's awesome! We have played it before with letter magnets. 
• Teach your child how to play 10 questions. Choose a piece, but don't indicate to your child which piece you have chosen. They get to ask you 10 yes or no questions to try and guess which piece you chose. 
• If your child isn't ready for 10 questions, you can take turns describing a piece while the other person guesses which piece you are describing. Make sure you take turns having your child describe and guess, both are important skills!
• Make a giant tic-tac-toe board and each use pieces from a different puzzle as your markers!
• Act out silly stories that you create with the pieces.
• Of course, just play!

Do you have any other ideas about how we can play with our newest puzzles?