Number Chains

There are six separate jigsaws, each with five pieces, for the numbers one to six. There are notes for parents in the box. To assemble the jigsaw for three, you find the numeral 3, the three red spots arranged as on a dice, the three puppies all named Rusty, the three dogs all named Patch, and the three yellow ducks. It's got an old-fashioned feel to it, and the challenge here is very limited. The pictures are arranged in the dice pattern for all but number three (in spite of what it says in the notes). The names on the cards are a distraction (should I count the letters?). No chance is given to count a number of different animals. Children need to realise that the number five does not always represent five of the same items, and that the dice arrangement is not the only way of arranging five objects. They also need a challenge to excite them to think about numbers.