Montessori Apple Puzzle

This unique Montessori Apple puzzle was created from original drawings and designs by Puzzle Heads Educational Products. This apple puzzle was created in response to requests from Montessori schools for a fall and harvest themed puzzle. Although this puzzle was designed with  Montessori principles in mind, the learning features incorporated are equally valuable in any educational environment from preschools to homeschools and everything in between.

How the Puzzles Are Made

As with all Puzzle Heads Originals products, each one begins as hand drawn artwork created in our studios. Sometimes ideas may evolve from rough sketches with good old paper and pencil. Other times, the concept may be created entirely digitally. Once each image is perfected, it ultimately becomes a digital illustration in the computer.

The Montessori apple puzzle was planned and designed first entirely on paper over 10 years ago! The original design has been updated and modified over the years, and had yet another refresh in 2021! It still remains one our our most popular puzzles.

Each puzzle is digitally printed and varnished. Then each puzzle is cut by hand and the pieces carefully sanded to silky smoothness.

These puzzles are constructed from solid Baltic Birch plywood, not pressboard or Masonite. As a result, they will never get rounded corners or “fraying” on the edges. You are purchasing an heirloom quality product that withstands rugged classroom use and will last through many hand-me downs at home. Download the matching nomenclature 3 part cards DIGITAL BUNDLE HERE – now including control charts, colouring booklet and 2 versions of the 3 part cards.

The Pincer Grip

The knobs used on wooden puzzles are important features that are designed to encourage the development of the pincer grip. The pincer grip is the action of grasping an object with the thumb and first finger.

Babies begin developing this skill between 6-12 months of age. When you think about it, it takes an amazing amount of hand eye coordination, concentration, precise movements and muscle strength to succeed in picking up and manipulating a small object.

Dr. Maria Montessori recognized the need to encourage the development of this skill and designed many  activities and materials for the classroom with this in mind. The pincer grip is the foundation of so many actions that will come as babies and toddlers grow.

You may still be perfecting your pincer grip through your adult life if you being learning a new skill, like painting with a fine brush, knitting or threading a needle.

Young children need to perfect the pincer grip in preparation for things like holding a pencil, learning to write, buttoning, zipping and snapping. A Montessori classroom has many materials and activities to help develop this skill.

Features

• 10 knobbed pieces (some parts have two pieces, like the Leaf, Skin, Flesh)
• Pieces cut to match the materials in the Apple nomenclature 3 part cards DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (Skin, Flesh, Core, Ovary, Seeds, Leaf, Blossom End (Calyx), Stem)
• Approximate Size: 9-1/4″ x 10-3/4″ (23.5cm x 27.5cm)

Matching Nomenclature 3 Part Cards

Nomenclature 3 part cards and control charts are now available as a newly expanded digital download available HERE. This versatile bundle gives the flexibility of choosing from full colour 3 part cards, or the more traditional red shaded part cards. Control charts, both labelled and unlabelled are also included. Finally, as an added bonus, this bundle also includes the colouring booklet. Both the nomenclature cards and the colouring booklet feature different versions of the apple, both as the whole fruit and with the apple  sliced in half.

Recommended Age

3 years+

Preschool, Homeschool and Montessori Casa programs

Handmade in Canada.