The Push-Pull-Puzzle has two sides. The front side has pictures of 12 common objects and can be completed like a regular puzzle. The back side has the same 12 pictures embedded into a scene featuring "Chez" the monkey sitting in a wagon. There are holes on the back behind each picture. The puzzle pieces are magnetized and stay in the puzzle as you hold it up vertically. Children can be taught to point to pictures by having them "push" or "poke" the pieces out of the puzzle. The pieces fall out of the other side making it very exciting and enticing for children! There are also many ways to stimulate language when completing the puzzle.
The puzzle also comes with a fabric scarf that can be pushed through each hole and pulled out the other end, creating a back-and-forth, non-verbal conversation of "give" and "take." This process of give and take actually mimics a real conversation and is a critical skill that can be shaped into actual conversational turns.
The puzzle comes complete with a list of suggested activites on how to use it.
Push Pull Puzzle Activities (PDF)
To make this puzzle even more useful, Kid's Train Express has recorded the song, "What's That?" (from the Rocking and Talking CD) to correspond with each picture on the Push-Pull-Puzzle. As you listen to the song, you will notice that the words correspond exactly with the puzzle pieces.