Jigsaw puzzles are wonderful gifts because they help children grow in so many ways. They develop visual discrimination, fine motor skills, concentration, stick-to-itnivness, and self-confidence. To make the most of what they offer help your child get started and develop the tricks to puzzle building, like finding the edges, and using the box-top to help see where things fit. Remember, though, that it is in the doing that your child learns, so don’t take over the experience. By the way, if your child is having trouble, it may be that they need a puzzle with bigger and fewer pieces. There is no shame in stepping down to an earlier “aged” puzzle, and it will help your child build important skills at their own pace.
Toddlers
Jasey's Toy Chest Wooden Farm Easy-Grasp Peg Puzzle ($17.99) exemplifies what we’re looking for in a puzzle for toddlers. The animal shaped pieces have pegs to make it easier for the child to grasp and place. It may seem less like a puzzle and more of a matching game to you, but your child will gaining important skills, even as they enjoy playing with the animal shapes. By the way, it makes a perfect jumping off point for a sing-a-long of Old Macdonald Had a Farm!
Jasey's Toy Chest Wooden Vehicles Puzzle & Play Pieces ($14.99). With twice the number of pieces, and dispensing with the peg handles of the farm puzzle, above, this one is for next level puzzle builders. The idea is the same: chunky pieces that are matched with cut-outs on the board, but the number of pieces and the lack of a handle, makes this set a bit more challenging. 12 months & up.
Preschool
Melissa and Doug Glow-in-the-Dark Floor Puzzle – Unicorn ($24.99) This 48-piece floor puzzle will be a big hit, literally; it is 3’x2’!. Besides being oversized, it glows in the dark. Need I say more? OK, how about the over-the-top artwork with not one, but two unicorns, a rainbow, and a castle. Recommended for ages 4 & up.
eeBoo My Farm Alphabet Giant Puzzle - 36 pieces (eeBoo $23.99) is part of a larger line of excellent puzzles for preschoolers. Larger pieces make a larger finished puzzle: 24.4” by 20”. Designed to develop letter recognition, the art is attractive without being cloying. This one, new this year, uses farm as its theme, but others are available with dinosaur, woodland, or animal art.
Early School Years
eeBoo Christmas House 100 Piece Children's Puzzle
(12.99) This 14”x10” rectangular puzzle of a Christmas house with Santa and Mrs. Claus, elves, reindeer and gazillions of presents, comes in a house shaped box.
Hape Monet Water-Lily Garden Puzzle (Hape $21.99)
Hape, in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, has created this beautifully designed wooden puzzle inspired by Claude Monet's Water Lily Garden at Giverny. The puzzle less experienced puzzlers with added visual support thanks to a full-picture guide beneath the puzzle pieces and a wooden frame to keep things organized.
