In the Montessori toddler classroom, you’ll almost always see knobbed puzzles on the shelves. 

Why?

They’re great for developing

• Fine motor skills
• Hand eye coordination
• Focus
• Problem solving
• The pincer grasp
• Hand strength

Specifically the development of the pincer grasp and hand strength is needed in order for a child to hold and use a pencil.

Developing these skills now sets them up for success in the Casa classroom (ages 3+) when they will start to learn to write. 

We have this wonderful, Canadian one that is a top-seller > The Seven Hands Cylinder Puzzle. Ideal for ages 1.5-3 > https://themontessoriroom.com/products/seven-hands-cylinder-puzzle

It’s beautiful and also makes a wonderful tool for teaching size differentiation. 

Other wonderful hand-strengthening activities

You can also work on refining the pincer grasp and hand strength by:

• Bead stringing
• Working with clothespins (having your child pin them on the side of a basket or other item)
• Picking up pom poms from a bowl and transferring them into an ice cube tray
• Using tongs for transferring small items
• Peeling stickers
• Using eye droppers to transfer liquid

BONUS Puzzle Work

If you have multiple knobbed puzzles, you can also mix them up in a basket for an added challenge, once they’ve mastered the puzzles individually. 

You can also add the pieces to a sensory bin and have your child find each piece before placing them into the puzzle board. 

No need to do them all this week. It's just good to keep these skills in mind from ages 2-4 years because it will make the introduction to writing much easier!