How did she do this?

[whatwhatinthewhatnow]

DD is 16 months old. Today she picked up her alphabet peg puzzle and put 10 of the letter pegs into the correct letter spaces. Underneath are pictures are things starting with that letter.

I don't know if this is advanced or not. Probably not! Although I was pretty impressed with her because she has been behind her peers on every single thing! Walking, talking and all that. Although she's kept up roughly with what the NHS book says so Im happy

Anyway, my question is HOW did she do this? I mean what skill has she used. Maybe she recognised the shapes of the pegs, or the order of the letters or something. I just want to know so I can do other activities that bring this into play because it seems a waste not to encourage her. Perhaps someone who works with kids will know.

The pictures underneath are things she doesn't even know like giraffe and ice cream so I don't think shes recognised them from another toy.

is this like a wooden jigsaw?

Yeah. The letters form the shape of the holes the pegs go in.

Would that be spatial awarness? That's pretty good for a 16mo

that is pretty good for 16mths, my dd is 16mths and she will try to do thos epuzzles, and can do some shapes but gets frustrated easily.

some kids just like puzzles tho, my ds4 was like this and was very good at them at a young age, she obviously likes them so buy some more or get some in charity shops etc, she may like shape sorter type toys as well and things with wooden pegs to put in holes, i have one with little round pegs and a hammer that you bash them with, (when i say i i mean dd!)

Spacial awareness. Can be a sign of mathematical ability.

Dd1 was like this. I remember at about 1yo we met up with a friend of mil's who had a baby of almost exactly the same age. At the end mil said that dd1 had been "outclassed in every way". Because the other child had been walking so had raced through the toys, bashed a few together and then reverted to climbing on the furniture as more interesting. Dd1, who was a slow crawler at that point) sat quietly in the corner not needing any attention, with two jigsaws taking the pieces out and putting them back in carefully. Dd1 is very mathematical now.

Dd2 and ds were too busy rushing round and climbing the furniture to worry about sitting down and doing jigsaws at that age.

Along with the 10 she got right - which she put straight into the right hole, no hesitation - she put in b and p the wrong way round which is what made me think she had recognised the shapes rather than the order (which my friend thought was how she did it but it seems very far fetched for a small toddler!)

I should stress she really has shown no special ability for this until yesterday. Or anything else really, she's just been average.

So spatial awareness is what it was then. Any tips to keep her interested?

My DD has similar - the letter is also a picture and that gives a hint too. She is rally good at it now (20mth) but at her age DS had no interest it all in the same jigsaw! He is quite good at maths now!

She's obviously a bright button! Maybe get out all the toys that involve sorting and shapes and also encourage her dexterity (shape sorters, threading toys etc).

My dd2 is like this too. Much better at puzzles than her older sister and has been able to do wooden puzzles since she was about a year old, also loves shape sorter toys so I think it is a matching up the shapes thing.

end of last summer i bought my DS some of those floor mats with the numbers in as they were reduced to £2.50 in asda. not sure if you know what i mean from this description. I was intending just to use them as floor mats and for something to sit on in the garden but DS (2 next month) has played with them loads since he was about 16 months. You can say to him 'bring me the 7' or whatever and he'll do that. Maybe your DS would like something like that. We never tried to teach him its just somethign he seems to take an interest in. He also loves shape sorters.

Does she have a shape sorter? Sounds like that would be right up her street.

I agree with the spatial awareness. My DS was the same. At nursery he would laugh at other DCs trying to get into a dolls house. It seems he was the only one who realised he wouldn't fit.

He has turned out to be an extremely gifted mathematician.

Like your DD his physical milestones were not early.

I think I must have been unwittingly supporting this because she does have the number foam floor mat things - we use the 8 as glasses, the 2 as a phone, the 3 as a moustache etc, as well as it being a floor cover for her toy area.

She's got lots of shape sorters too but I suppose I hadn't really noticed how many until I read this today! She's got some jigsaws but we don't play them all the time, I thought they might be a bit old for her. Might get them out.

This is great everyone, thanks for the help

Hello

This remind me of my DD. She's 4.5 now but was also behind the other kids in terms of crawling and walking.

But she just seemed to have an eye for things like shape sorters. She now is quite interested in numbers and adding and subtracting, but can still also sit at a jigsaw puzzle that she hasn't don't before and work it out.

I remember friends being impressed by this. I think with our DD that she's a watcher and learner and has that sort of head that likes to work things out.

DS who is 2.5 is more in the bash things into place category although he also quite likes doing puzzles with a bit of help.

In terms of what else to get DD loved all sorts of jigsaw puzzles. The early learning centre used to do a tin of 4 puzzles with animals on them. We inherited one from a friends son and they were and still are a favourite.

This is a lovely post as it reminds me of how lovely DD was at that age.

DS2 was like that he could do puzzles very young and wooden puzzles he would just pick up the shape, look at it, rotate it and make it fit in the right place, without trying to wack it in like my other DS1 was doing. DS2 is very very good at maths now (he is 5) and has amazing memory (he can do 'maps' of other people's houses, where the rooms are, where the stairs are, etc). He is good at maths (I know, is is only 5, but if you ask him what's 15+6 he will tell you the answer). Nurture it, is what I would say. you can get fantastic toys, shape sorters, puzzles, wooden blocks to make towers and shapes.

I am crap at maths so he didn't get it from me!

By the way DS2 was late at every milestone, walked at 16 months and didn't speak until he was 3.

If she's just jamming them into the right holes without any trial and error, is it done through memory? Has she done it before?

She has seen the puzzle many times, and has done perhaps three with trial and error before, and with me saying look, V goes over the violin type stuff. What surprised me that day was that she just kept picking up one after another and getting them straight into the right hole each time. 10 times (by now Mummy was making this face ). The only trial and error were the b and the p which made me think she'd recognised the shapes. She started to get them wrong at the end so just wandered off.

It was almost like Piss off mum, I've done it, now leave me alone!

So she could be remembering, but it's surprising, because letters are so many shapes and of such limited appeal, aren't they!

Yeah my friend said wow! She remembers! as in, she knew the order. But I don't know, that seems a little too wow that's why I thought it might be shapes. Is it even possible for a toddler that young?