I found this book extremely interesting because I haven't worked in a school that had such a program, so it was interesting to learn the reasoning behind practicing these puzzles in preparation for the test.
Children's way of thinking is "the combination of observation, play, and patient, persistent experimentation." When children follow this combination to learn and solve these puzzles will separate the gifted and talented children from other children.
You're probably thinking-what!? Yes, the way these puzzles are laid out really make children think in an abstract way which sets them apart from other students.
Obviously, having a 4 or 5 year old "study" sounds silly, but if you can spend a couple hours on each section of puzzles they will have a huge advantage! Some sections will take less time and some more based on the level of difficulty.
There are 10 different kinds of puzzles. Some of the puzzles are patterns, letters/phonemic awareness, and number recognition.
Each puzzle is on its own page. The left side has "hints" for parents and teachers to use if a child is struggling or to discuss the puzzles more. It also has the answer. The right side is a full page for the puzzles with 4 possible answers.
Here is an example of a puzzle:
It seems like the puzzles start easy and get harder as you go on.
If this seems like something your students or children could use, check them out here!
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