Animal Puzzle Copy Masters Box: Templates for Creating Extensions
Made by Nienhuis Montessori · shipped by Heutink International (Netherlands) About the maker
A wooden box for the animal puzzle copy masters, the plastic cards a child traces round to make their own copy of each puzzle. Copy masters are what turn a puzzle from something taken apart and put back into something a child produces and keeps: the drawing goes home, gets coloured, gets labelled. A box keeps five cards flat and findable, which is all that is needed for that to keep happening. Copy masters sold separately. Wood with paper, for ages 3 to 6.
“Children display a universal love of mathematics, which is par excellence the science of precision, order, and intelligence.”
The Animal Puzzle Copy Masters Box embodies the Montessori principle of indirect preparation and the importance of order in the prepared environment.
- Visual discrimination of animal shapes and forms
- Development of figure-ground perception skills
- Refinement of fine motor control through tracing
- Classification and categorization of animal groups
Read More
These templates serve as control cards, allowing children to create their own animal puzzles while maintaining consistency and precision across materials. The sensorial nature of working with animal silhouettes develops visual discrimination and figure-ground perception, essential for later reading and writing. The organized storage system with tabbed dividers reflects Maria Montessori's emphasis on external order supporting internal cognitive organization. By providing exact templates, we honor the child's need for beauty and precision while enabling the guide to create materials that isolate difficulty and present clear concepts.
How to present it
Follow the Montessori method of presentation for optimal child development.
Place the Copy Masters Box on a low shelf accessible to children. Prepare tracing paper, cardboard, and scissors on a designated work tray. Ensure proper lighting at the work table.
- 1
Select one animal category tab and remove the corresponding template cards
Start with familiar domestic animals before introducing exotic species - 2
Place tracing paper over the chosen template and secure with paper weights
Use clear paper weights to maintain visibility of the entire silhouette - 3
Trace the animal outline carefully with a pencil
Encourage slow, deliberate movements to develop precision - 4
Transfer the traced image to cardboard and cut out the puzzle piece
Provide appropriate scissors and demonstrate proper cutting technique - 5
Create a matching control card using the same template
Make control cards slightly larger than puzzle pieces for easy identification
Every Child Is a Little Creator
Heritage
Since 1929
In classrooms
Around the world
European brands
Nienhuis, GAM, Educo
AMI approved
To the association standard
Animal Puzzle Copy Masters Box: Templates for Creating Extensions
