Let's look at the importance of mosaics in child development. Children's mosaic: a special form of knowledge of the world Types of mosaics for children
Mosaic is not just a children's game, it is a kind of magic, during which images of objects or entire plot pictures are formed from small pieces.
The benefits of mosaics for children
Playing mosaics trains fine motor skills, develops imagination, artistic taste and imaginative thinking. In the process of creating a picture from a mosaic, the child develops purposeful activity, attentiveness and observation.
The child learns coordination of movements, trains perseverance, and develops abstract and spatial thinking. Mosaic teaches you to work according to certain rules, a pattern, and strive to bring your plan to a visible result.
And the little ones are also introduced to basic shapes and colors, developing visual attention and sensory skills.
How to choose a children's mosaic by age
- For the youngest children, a honeycomb or spherical mosaic is suitable. The elements in such a mosaic are large, so it is convenient for a child to pick them up and put them on the cells. Pay attention to whether the elements snap onto the field, otherwise, no matter how the mosaic is tilted, it will fall apart.
- For older children (from about 2 years old), a mosaic with elements on a leg is suitable. For a two to three year old child, choose this type of mosaic with a small number of elements and colors. Games with such mosaics contribute to the development of creative imagination, because although the set usually comes with a booklet with images, the child can assemble any pictures from the mosaic elements.
- At the age of 2-3 years, a child likes to play a composite mosaic - puzzle. These are pictures cut into a small number (2-8) of parts depicting different objects. The parts of this mosaic are large, so it is convenient to assemble it on the floor. The images on the mosaic should be understandable to the baby - animals, fruits and vegetables, toys. Some varieties of such mosaics are made of durable elastic material that has the ability to stick to the surface when exposed to moisture, that is, it can be used while bathing.
- For children aged 5-6 years, more complex mosaics are suitable. For example, a magnetic mosaic by numbers, which involves compiling multi-color pictures from elements by number and color. It includes about 1000 elements, so even adults will find it interesting to assemble this mosaic.
In addition to assembling patterns and pictures, you can use mosaics as an auxiliary material for teaching mathematics (counting elements or asking the child to give a certain number of chips of a named color), developing attention - lay out a pattern and ask the child to remember it, and then change the shape or color of the chips.
Sometimes sets of numbers and letters are made in the form of mosaics, which will help older preschoolers learn the basics of counting and letters of the alphabet in a playful way. Chips made in the form of letters and numbers allow you to form words and syllables, write examples on the playing field, and older children can create entire crossword puzzles on the field.
Choosing from a wide range of children's mosaics inonline store of children's goods , pay attention to the availability of a quality certificate, sanitary certificates, and instructions for using the selected product.
Prepared by Maryana Chornovil
Children's mosaic is a toy with small elements, thanks to which you can create entire pictures. It’s not enough to call it just a toy, because in addition to entertainment purposes, it performs many more functions, in particular, it develops the child’s imagination, fine motor skills, perseverance, and patience.
Also, thanks to children's mosaics, the child is instilled with the ability for purposeful activity and the ability to regulate his behavior. Mosaic helps in the development of aesthetic and artistic taste, awakens creative activity and helps to understand the world around us.
Choosing a mosaic
In the past, there was only one standard type of mosaic, and we enjoyed assembling our pictures on a round stand. Today, the choice is so extensive that parents themselves are not averse to playing with such toys.
Based on the age of the child, parents can choose the appropriate toy. A mosaic can be made up of completely different parts: beads, plastic chips, coins, blocks, wooden elements, pasta, magnetic blocks and so on. Before you buy, you need to know exactly how to choose a suitable mosaic according to age.
Mosaic for children from 1 to 3 years old
For a small child, mosaics must be selected especially carefully. Parts must be at least 4 centimeters in size. This way you will be sure that your child will not swallow any of them. Moreover, the one-year-old will not be able to assemble too small parts due to not yet fully developed fine motor skills.
At the first stage there should be a few colors, preferably the four most basic, natural ones: green, blue, yellow and red.
The number of pieces in a mosaic set varies, but a set of 45-60 pieces is enough for a child under three years old.
Moreover, the set has a canvas with cavities so that the child can place the parts themselves on it, which, in turn, do not have pins and are safe for the baby. Children's floor mosaics are best suited at this age.
Mosaic for children from 3 to 6 years old
At the age of three years, a child is able to master mosaics of any complexity, provided, of course, that he has previously had experience playing with simpler toys of this type.
You can now safely choose a “mushroom” or puzzle-type mosaic. In the first case, the parts have a platform, and they are quite small in size, but children’s hands can already operate them without problems.
The area for collecting pictures can be quite small, but there are also options with a large area on which entire scenes can be composed.
Puzzle-type mosaics will really appeal to older children, because they can be assembled on any surface, and you can do anything.
Children from four years old can be offered a magnetic mosaic. The set includes magnetic parts and a metallized board. Although you can even use a refrigerator instead of a board.
Mosaic for schoolchildren
For older children, the task must be complicated, because development should not stand still. Thus, children who are already familiar with numbers will find it interesting to assemble highly complex jigsaw puzzles.
In such a mosaic, each color of the parts corresponds to a number; on the insert, the drawing that can be assembled is not colored, as we are used to, but consists of numbers. The child’s task is to follow the numerical indicators and assemble a color picture.
Toy quality
When deciding how to choose a good mosaic according to age, special attention should be paid not only to its degree of complexity, but also to quality, because the child has been in contact with it for quite a long time.
The mosaic should not emit an unpleasant chemical odor. Each figure must be smooth, free from deformations and sharp burrs.
Where to buy mosaic
Another very important question is where to buy mosaics? In fact, the selection of such toys in online stores is simply huge; you just have to choose the most suitable toy for your child.
), sculpting from or assembling. And on top of everything else, it is truly universal - if you choose a mosaic wisely, it will be of interest to both babies under one year old and preschool children.
What is a mosaic? This is the creation of a large pattern from many small details - classic stained glass windows or decorative tiles are the best examples of this from “adult” life. This is why, by the way, popular puzzles are not mosaics - they are a completely separate type of game: also necessary for development, but affecting the child’s body and psyche in a slightly different way. But mosaic is a classic of children's creativity: it improves fine motor skills, teaches perseverance, helps to master colors and shapes, instills good artistic taste, improves imagination, helps imaginative thinking and teaches planning one's actions.
Focus on age
There are a huge variety of types of mosaics for children, but they all essentially boil down to one simple rule: assemble from a huge number of flat parts, chips (circles, squares, rectangles, triangles), a certain picture (set in advance or invented by the child). But depending on the type of game, the nuances may differ: the parts are assembled on any flat surface or on a special platform, how they are attached to each other, what are the dimensions of the parts, are there manufacturer templates for “drawing”, etc.
How to navigate and what to choose for your beloved child? The main thing in this situation is to start from the age of the baby. Therefore, all mosaics are divided into age groups:
up to a year
At this time, the child is extremely far from creativity as such - in principle, he is not able to consciously create a pattern or, even more so, a complex plot drawing. He is much more interested in simply studying the properties of the new world around him! Therefore, he will be happy to twirl the mosaic pieces in his hands, examine and taste them; he will certainly be fascinated by the ability of the elements to adhere to each other thanks to special slots on the sides. Several conclusions follow from all this. Firstly, a mosaic for this age should have large pieces so that the baby’s fingers can easily hold them and so that the child does not swallow them (diameter 6-8 cm). By the way, you shouldn’t get carried away with large sets - now literally 30-40 chips are enough. Secondly, no platform is needed - it is better to lay out the mosaic on the floor. Thirdly, the shape of the parts should be simple (the same circle, triangle, square), and their coloring should be bright, but not poisonous (choose classic colors). And one more thing: you should definitely play with your child - don’t hesitate to help him and even surprise him by putting together a sun or a flower out of chips, showing the principle of working with mosaics.
from one to two years
The child still continues to explore the world, but is no longer averse to playing and, most importantly, trying to create something new, his own. Of course, this statement does not need to be taken literally - “one’s own” is simply an imitation, a copying of what was seen. But from here we draw conclusions about the type of toys. So, the baby will be happy to accept the mosaic, where you need to complement the drawing. For example, on a platform with a picture of a train, there are slots for inserting chips of a certain shape and a certain color. Such a game, on the one hand, will teach the child to correctly compare the sizes of elements and their color with the main field. On the other hand, it will make you feel like a creator - before there was a “defective” picture, with gaps, now, thanks to your own efforts, it’s “real”, all painted over! You can also pay attention to mosaics with a colorless pattern (they must be completely filled with chips to your taste), with replaceable patterns (for variety), as well as those described in the “up to a year” category, but more advanced: with an increased number of parts of a more complex shape and reduced size (on average 6 cm).
from two to three years
Interest in blind copying is gradually fading, but the desire to create, on the contrary, is increasing. Therefore, at this age you can safely try classic mosaics “with legs”. In them, the chips have small pins at the base so that you can use them to attach parts to special holes on the included platform (often there are models on the contrary, where the legs are on the platform, and the elements, having holes for them, are essentially put on it ). At the same time, as a rule, there are no templates in such a mosaic: just a field dotted with many holes - stick in chips as you please! Thanks to this, the child can create any patterns, ornaments and designs from them. It should also be noted that the details may differ from set to set: both different shapes and the same (only small circles, for example), to provide even more freedom for creativity. Such mosaics are also good because they can be placed vertically - the chips will not fall down (therefore, when choosing, evaluate how securely they are attached to the site and whether they cling easily)! And the chips themselves, for the umpteenth time, are becoming smaller - from 1 to 4 cm in diameter.
three years and older
We can safely say that a child of this age can easily master almost any mosaic (if he has the skills to play with it, of course). Therefore, your choice is as wide as possible. Huge pin mosaics, large sets of interlocking tiles without a platform, while the number of parts is maximum (from 60-80 and above), and they are already really small (from 1 cm in diameter) and of any shape. Also during this period, the baby will probably be interested in magnetic mosaics, in which the chips are attached to a metallized platform without any “legs”, nails or grooves - the very properties of the magnet will cause a storm of emotions (just folding a mosaic on the same refrigerator is worth it!), and dragging elements around the site is very easy and convenient. For older children, already of kindergarten age, try educational kits, which still have drawing templates, but you need to fill them in with details not just by color, but... by numbers. That is, in the places where “1” is written, you need to attach white chips, where “2” - yellow, etc. This will help your baby quickly master numbers and learn to distinguish them.
Evaluate quality comprehensively
In addition to the age limits (which are somewhat arbitrary), when purchasing, be sure to evaluate the quality of the proposed mosaic according to several criteria:
environmental friendliness: check the manufacturer’s certificates, refuse to choose a toy from an unknown company without proper packaging;
manufacturing: make sure that the parts do not have a characteristic chemical odor, flash or burrs, the paint can withstand rubbing and getting wet;
reliability: the chips are strong, not fragile, the fastenings must repeatedly withstand the connection process, and the platform must withstand shocks and falls;
Convenience: the process of attaching all mosaic elements should be possible even for children’s fingers; everything can be removed and put on easily and simply.
And finally, a traditional parting word: not a single, even the most high-quality and interesting mosaic can replace a child’s communication with his beloved parents. Therefore, always try to play with your child, collecting complex patterns, “drawing” his favorite characters from fairy tales or cartoons with chips, inventing whole plots for what the child has depicted with you on the mosaic playground. It is in this case that such a toy will truly bring maximum benefits for the development of your child!
7
18087
Leave comments
2
Mosaic for a child is a game during which fantasy patterns are created from individual fragments (puzzles, pieces, pieces), pictures and images are restored.
Types of mosaics
Modern parents believe that a toy should not only serve an entertainment function, but also develop the child, educate him and even educate him. And when there is demand, there is supply. Mosaic became such fun. Children's mosaics are presented on the market today in a huge assortment. It will be difficult for an inexperienced parent to make a choice.
Here are the main types of this game:
Who is it intended for?
Mosaics for children over one year old should be large. A perfect option for, say, a bathroom. However, this division is very arbitrary. When choosing a toy, you should focus on the child’s inclinations, his ability to concentrate and his type of thinking. Kids also love to assemble large, simple floor puzzles.
Mosaics for children 3 years old are preferably classic, with a perforated board, or on a magnetic base. Older children like the 3D version, the alphabet mosaic and the appliqué mosaic. Schoolchildren opt for puzzles.
Which mosaic to choose?
To make it easier to make a choice, you need to note what abilities mosaic for children develops. This will help you determine what qualities you would like to develop in your child through play.
How to play?
How to start working with a child? It is unlikely that your baby will start creating shapes if you just give him the toy. To attract the child’s attention to the game process, give him tasks gradually, starting with the simplest ones.
First, tell your child about the colors of the chips. Then ask him to give you the item of the desired color. After which you can form all the chips into groups of shades. After your child masters colors, move on to learning mosaics with geometric shapes. Tell him which is a circle and which is a triangle. When showing a detail, focus the baby’s attention on the specific features of the figure: the sharp corner of a triangle, the ability to roll around a circle, the straight edges of a square. After this, ask your child to give you a certain chip. If you realize that mosaics are not exciting for your child, put the game aside for a month and then try to start all over again.
Your goal is to teach your child to sort chips by color and shape.
The next step is assembling pictures and creating patterns. Do not demand strict adherence to the scheme when assembling the mosaic; tell your child the sequence of actions, but do not collect the chips instead of him. Analyze what he likes most, pay more attention to this activity, gradually making it more difficult. Over time, you will understand what your baby’s favorite mosaic is. A game for children should take place in an atmosphere of expectation of something new, because children really love to acquire skills.
Mosaic for memory
Modern mosaics for children are so good, and the finished works are so beautiful, that sometimes you don’t want to disassemble the model at all. If you want to save the composition created by your child, please note that some sets come with a special frame for a perforated board and a thick sheet for gluing a cardboard puzzle. Take photographs of your work and the creative process, because these moments will never happen again.
Price
The price of this game is not too high in any of its versions. However, the differences between certain species can be significant. On average, a mosaic for children costs about 150 rubles.
