9 year old can't do jigsaws

[Jigsawpuzzled]

I am a keen puzzle addict and whilst neither of my kids like them my oldest can do them if needed. Youngest has always struggled but it's really struck me now he's 9 just how much he struggles with them. He can't identify straight bits or understand that these need to go in a line. We've tried focusing on features rather than edges which was more successful. I don't think it's a key life skill but it's really odd to me that he doesn't seem to understand why straight bits go at the outside or the shapes fit into one another and look similar. We're only doing small puzzles of things that are of interest to him so nothing with small pieces. Does anyone have any advice for things that might help him with some puzzle skills?I don't expect him to suddenly develop a love of them I am just slightly worried that kids he is friends with can do more complex things so wondering if there is some element of problem solving skill I should be working on with him or whether it's fine to just accept this isn't something he can do. He did have small wooden puzzles as a toddler but struggled and did them by colour and recognition.

I can't do my 5 year olds puzzles. I tell her that we need to work together as a team to get it done. How does he get on at school? What is he good at?

I can't do jigsaws and I'm 43. I think it's partly because I don't have the patience and partly because my brain just can't work it out.

Thanks both this is reassuring, I was just watching him work with a piece that he knew must belong in the space but couldn't get his head around how to get it in or how to turn it and how many options rhere may be. I think I'm not a good person to do them with either as I have to really step back to not take over. He gets on fine at school, mid range in the class and doesn't enjoy it but they have no concerns. He likes sport and is good in a team although nervy but enjoys it because its social and he's a very sociable bod!

I can't do them either. Some people just don't have that ability to see how things can come together in time/space. Dh is good at them - he can also built furniture and has a career that involves design and building things.

I bet your dc has other strengths though that you struggle with. I can't imagine how 3 dimensional things come together, but I'm really good with writing and language. Dh, who could probably build a house from a heap of rubbish, struggles with writing emails. So he builds my stuff and I copyedit his emails for him!

You're right he is the chief lost item finder jn our house whereas I can't see anything that's not in the right place, it's like they're invisible! I also have no hand eye coordination or sense of space/distance and he beats me at anything that involves throwing or catching. So pleased I asked rather than worrying about this, sounds like it's not an issue at all just not his skill.

There are lots of different skills involved in solving jigsaws, not least visual-spatial skills. It sounds like it's these he's struggling with, rather than visual perception or other cognitive functions.

They'll improve with practice, from every day tasks (team sports for example)

Honestly, if he's not struggling in other areas, particularly as he's sociable (possibly the hardest skill to learn if it doesn't come naturally) I'd take that as a win.

My ds 9 is working ahead at school and is (I am told) a sporting genius in his chosen sport..
He also cannot do a jigsaw...

Forgot to mention reading age according to school is 21...

My almost 4yo is better at jigsaws that my mid30s partner.
He's got fairly significant colour blindness which probably contributes. Also he couldn't care less about doing jigsaws or puzzles. It's not the way his mind works. He is otherwise a successful academic working in neuroscience so it hasn't held him back at all!

All very heartening and reassuring!

I would advise just not trying to make him do them. I am in my 60s, 3 degrees, long successful career, hate jigsaws and always have. I offered them to my children because i didn't want my hatred to limit their fun, but they never really liked them either. Even so, they were better than me at them by about the age of 8

A 9 year old should be able to do a 250-500 piece puzzle.
Dyslexics tend to be particularly talented at them. Struggles could come from colour blindness, visual perception and a struggle with pattern recognition, spatial awareness and manipulating the pieces to the space, critical thinking issues or good ol' fashioned disinterest.

If you had an age-apropriate Lego set with instructions could he put that together?

That's what I'd read which is why I was concerned but it sounds like this isn't an indication of anything to worry about. Lego, not sure, he's never done any but he got a big lego batman for Christmas and put that together himself which I was surprised at mainly as he has no interest in it usually!

@Jigsawpuzzled I'd go with the fact if he can manipulate Lego pieces to make a large model then that is very similar to jigsaw skills so he probably just isn't interested in them.

DD never liked jigsaws finds them boring and pointless but she LOVES logic puzzles Think Fun are great for these. Cat Crimes and Gravity Maze were both hits although she could do even the hardest level fairly quickly (I still can't do them), she also loves these travel puzzles

I’m having the same thing with my nine year old.

Can I ask you - how is your son with his writing? Is he ‘behind’? Does he mix up his case, not keep consistent letter size or write up or down in a slant (has trouble with lined paper?)

Recently I observed my son has spatial dysgraphia, and am wondering if this is related.

Hi @kidsmoked just saw this, he does have some issues with writing but nothing that causes a concern and mostly from lack of focus tbh. Not the slanted issue you mention but the rest I recognise, particularly when not engaged in what he is writing