Research on the practice of massaging the head of a baby with hot water and ointments in Ghana. By Dzamesi Yael (Ph.D. in Science Education)
Attention to details - primary 1, 2
(4 children, age: 6 to 7 years old in Primary 1 proceeded to Primary 2).
Task: Joining pieces of puzzles, attention to details.
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Primary 1 children were taught how to do puzzles of 9 pieces. There were different puzzles, i.e., different pictures on each puzzle. They spent 3 periods each of one hour in learning how to do a puzzle. After that, they needed one full period to be able to do one puzzle of 9 pieces by themselves. They proceeded to puzzles of more pieces: 16 and then 24 pieces. Even though they were repeatedly taught at each time to observe the details of the picture, the color of the pieces and the shape of the pieces (corner piece, frame piece or middle piece, Figure 1), all but one pupil did not change their approach of randomly hastily picking up a piece without paying attention to the details and placing it in the wrong place. They even tried to interlock a flat side of a piece as in the corner and the frame piece with a middle piece. Only one pupil paid more attention to the instructions. He placed the correct piece but many times in the wrong orientation so the piece could not interlock. Then, he had to rotate the piece until it fitted and interlocked with the other.
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Figure 1: Example of the three types of puzzle pieces.
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In Primary 2, the attitude of the children in joining the pieces of a puzzle did not change much, but since they played with the same puzzles, they could master the 24 pieces of puzzles through memorizing the picture. Only the child that paid more attention to the detailed of the pieces of the puzzle in Primary 1, could do bigger puzzles of 36 and 48 pieces in Primary 2.
It must be noted that for school readiness in South Africa a child must be able to complete a 24 pieces puzzle. However, children exposed to puzzles on a regular basis from an early age are likely to be able to do far bigger and more complex puzzles than indicated in the guideline below.
Guideline of Creative Parenting Expert in South Africa for the size of puzzles that are expected from each age group
to complete without many difficulties [123].
Knob puzzles - 18 months to 2 years old.
2 – 6 pieces – 2 to 3 years old.
12 - 24 pieces – 4 to 5 years old.
24 – 48 pieces – 5 to 6 years old.
54, 60 and 96 pieces - 6 years old and above.
200 pieces – 8 years old and above.
The children in Creative Foundation School at Primary 1, ages: 6 to 7 years old could not build new puzzle of 24 pieces by themselves even after hours of learning puzzles. This performance is greatly less than expected by the guideline of Creative Parenting Expert in South Africa.
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