Giant Cookie Puzzle

[40 Minutes]

If your child loves puzzles, how about making an edible cookie puzzle? Share your baking talents with your child and have a tasty time.

You'll need:

• cookie dough--either made-from-scratch or store bought package • rolling pin or jar to roll out dough • cookie sheet • plastic knife

What to do:

1. Talk with your child about how cookies are made.
2. Invite her to help take the dough and roll it out on a cookie sheet into a large shape such as a circle or square.
3. Show your child how to score the cookie all the way through into several large pieces with a plastic knife to make puzzle pieces.
4. Bake until browned.
5. Cool. Then help your child gently break the cookie into puzzle pieces.
6. Invite her to mix up pieces and to put shape back together.
7. Ask her to name the shape.

Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.

• What shape was your cookie puzzle?
• Show me something in this room that is the same shape as the cookie puzzle.
• How did the cookie puzzle taste? What kind of cookie dough would you like to use next time?
• Which piece of the cookie puzzle is the largest? the smallest?

Useful information:

While you are having fun together, this activity helps your child learn to follow directions and provides experiences for developing concepts related to "parts and whole".