Gear-Stacker, Language-Learning Preschool Puzzle

Details

Sweetpea’s upstairs-gears will be turning with this fun and exciting puzzle! Only 6 pieces, this is an excellent first puzzle for little ones as young as 2 years. It is a set of graduated colorful wooden gears. Preschoolers can stack the gears up 3D tall to make sculptural towers. Or, the gears fit together into a flat puzzle. For further educational value, the gears are graduated in the shades of an artist’s color wheel, supporting color identification skills.

Let the language learning begin! One side has the colors labeled in their English names. Flip it over for color names labeled in three different languages: Spanish, French and German. This puzzle is a colorful multilingual adventure. The Gear Stacker comes with a natural beechwood tray for easy storage or travel. The tray can flip over to function as a display stand once the puzzle is completed.

ECO-FRIENDLY TOY
SIZE: 7.5" x 7.5" x 1"
AGE RANGE: 2-5 years

Developmental Value

This puzzle is 3 in one. It is a flat simple puzzle, a gear stack with a broad base or an inverted gear stack. The gear rings are a rainbow of colors. They introduce color theory found in an artist's color wheel. Even more, the color names are in four different languages. A brilliant introduction to language learning!

Puzzles are a problem-solving activity developing cross-brain thinking skills. Effective problem solving requires a mixture of both logic (left-brain activity) and creative (right-brain activity) thinking. Good problem solvers switch from one set of skills to the other. Cross-brain thinking is not always easy but becomes easier with problem-solving practice.

• Logic (analytic) thinking develops through ordering the pieces, comparing them, contrasting them, evaluating them and selecting the correct piece. The child must select the best alternative from the options available by narrowing down the range of possibilities.
• Creative thinking is developed when a piece doesn't fit because the child must consider a broader set of solving options such as manipulating the piece, flipping the piece, considering the alphabet order, or solving surrounding pieces.

Puzzle play requires visual spatial relationship reasoning, a cognitive skill supporting understanding of relationships between adjoining pieces. Spatial awareness is critical to fundamental mathematics comprehension.

Puzzles build attention span. They require concentration for completion. The key for the adult is finding the sweet spot of difficulty. If a puzzle is too easy, it requires little concentration. If it is too hard, the puzzle becomes a source of frustration. If it doesn't feel like play, the positive learning experience shuts down.

Puzzles become an opportunity for relationship building when adults provide encouragement and support.

This language learning puzzle has parts that are large and chunky supporting the clutching and manipulating of pieces. This supports the development of fine motor skill.

Because there is a carrying tray, this gear puzzle becomes a travel toy for activities away from home. For homes who focus on Montessori shelving with work options, this puzzle sits orderly in its box. Manufacturer

Manufacturer

Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, BeginAgain believes in hands-on experiential toys, devoid of batteries. BeginAgain also has a strong commitment to eco-friendly products. Their entire line of products is made from plant-based materials. Any plastic, such as packaging, is 100% recycled.

This durable wooden puzzle is handcrafted from sustainable plantation-grown trees. BeginAgain chooses to use rubberwood (hevea brasiliensis) because it grows quickly. A sturdy hardwood, it is an excellent material for making heirloom quality toys.

The puzzle was designed in Fort Collins, Colorado. Manufacturing in China, near the native source of the wood, allows for smarter, more efficient use of energy, reducing the shipping footprint. The puzzles are packaged back in the USA, ensuring quality control. The manufacturing partner is female owned, and family run. The factory believes in the principles of fair living wages and sustainable practices. Independent audits ensure fair working conditions, product safety, and quality control standards.