To teach your child this concept, help him:

Examine objects such as a telephone or a toy truck. Ask your child to name each part. Have him tell you what the part does.

Show your child incomplete objects, such as a coat without a button or a pencil without an eraser. Discuss the need for the missing part.

Clip pictures of single objects from magazines. Paste each one on an index card. Cut the cards into two pieces. Have your child match the mixed-up pieces.

Cut an entire picture into three or more pieces. Don’t let your child just randomly try to fit the pieces together; have him use clues from the picture.

Explore body parts. Ask your child to tell you which body parts are most important for different activities, such as hopping or coloring.

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