World of Animals

Try not to limit your child’s experiences because you believe them to be incapable of understanding. Just let them have all the experiences that are safe for them and allow their mind to absorb whatever knowledge and information possible.

Geography is a tricky concept, but maps can often be very engaging for kids (of all ages). This puzzle has a map of the world and the animals that come from each geographic region. It’s an engaging, interesting puzzle.

Mikey worked on this puzzle on his own and then once he was done, we talked about it.  We focused on the more concrete concepts as opposed to the geography. We named animals, their colors, and their sounds.  One of Mikey’s Baby Einstein movies, World Animals, introduced him to the idea of different habitats. So, we also talked about animals that live in the habitats covered in the video: the ocean, the savannah, the dessert, the outback, the rainforest/tropics, and the polar regions. Mikey knew these concepts from repetition and video modeling (in other words, he watched that video A LOT).

Mikey got to do one of his favorite activities: puzzles. I got to feel he was getting practice with his conversation skills. And, of course, our dog Ruby brought the love!

For more on Mikey’s enduring love of puzzles, click the link below.