In a recent study, children who play with blocks and puzzles have been shown to have better spatial reasoning ability. Spatial reasoning is the ability to reason and manipulate objects in space.
Spatial reasoning ability is used everyday. Some activities where spatial ability is used include packing a suitcase, using a map, crossing the street and loading a dishwasher.
A fun way to have your children play with puzzles is through cereal box puzzles. All you need in order to make this puzzle is a cereal box with a fun picture on it and scissors. The first step is to cut the side of the cereal box with the picture on it off of the rest of the box. The next step is to draw straight lines on the side that does not have the picture. You can draw however many lines you want, it just depends on how hard you want to make the puzzle. Once you have drawn the lines you can go ahead and cut along them to make the pieces of your puzzle. When you are done cutting out the pieces you can have your child start to put the puzzle together. This is a fun and easy way to introduce your child to puzzles which can help increase their spatial reasoning skills at the same time.
Building Blocks for Developing Spatial Skills: Evidence From a Large, Representative U.S. Sample. Jamie J. Jirout and Nora S. Newcombe Psychological Science 0956797614563338, first published on January 27, 2015 doi:10.1177/0956797614563338