Susan C. Levine|Kristin R. Ratliff|Janellen Huttenlocher|Joanna Cannon
Early puzzle play: A predictor of preschoolers' spatial transformation skill.
individual differences spatial skill emerge prior kindergarten entry however little known early experiences may contribute differences current study examined relation childrens early puzzle play spatial skill children parents n 53 observed home 90 min every 4 months 6 times 2 4 years age 26 46 months children 4 years 6 months old completed spatial task involving mental transformations 2dimensional shapes children observed playing puzzles performed better task controlling parent education income overall parent word types moreover among children played puzzles frequency puzzle play predicted performance spatial transformation task although frequency puzzle play differ boys girls quality puzzle play composite puzzle difficulty parent engagement parent spatial language higher boys girls addition variation puzzle play quality predicted performance spatial transformation task girls boys implications findings well future directions research role puzzle play development spatial skill discussed