The Best Toddler Puzzles

Buying Guide

A puzzle is a fun activity for kids and adults alike. It consists of small puzzle pieces that interlock with one another to make a large picture. Each piece of the puzzle includes a small portion of the picture. Kids have to figure out where each piece goes in the puzzle in order to see the whole scene.

Often, toddler puzzles contain pictures of popular cartoons, letters and numbers, animals, shapes and other familiar items they love.

Puzzles are more than just an activity. They also provide an educational experience for toddlers and help them develop concentration skills. At 2 years old, most toddlers can only focus on an activity for a few minutes at a time. However, if they are engaged in an age-appropriate puzzle that only rewards them with the full picture once all the pieces are assembled, they are more likely to flex their concentration muscles.

In addition to building their focus skills, toddlers improve their spatial awareness when playing with puzzles, as they learn about different shapes and how they fit together. They also learn the relationships between different puzzle pieces and what happens if the pieces are flipped or rotated.

Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination are also greatly improved when toddlers work on puzzles. Toddlers strengthen their ability to make small movements with their fingers, hands and wrists as they grasp puzzle pieces, turn them around and fit them together.

It can be tempting to help kids fit the puzzle pieces together, but it’s more effective to let them independently explore these actions. This way, they can also learn how to coordinate their own movements with what they see.

• One of the most important things to consider when buying a toddler puzzle is the image. You want to make sure that it is something your toddler will be interested in — otherwise, they may not be engaged in the puzzle. There are a number of different images on toddler puzzles, including animals, vehicles, shapes, weather and more.
• Size is an important factor to consider because your toddler needs to be able to grasp the puzzle pieces with ease. If they are too small and flimsy, your toddler may get easily frustrated and not enjoy the activity. Chunky puzzles that are made out of wood or a thick cardboard are best for little fingers. Many toddler puzzle pieces have small pegs attached to each piece, making it even easier to pick them up and move them around.
• As every parent knows, kids are experts at dropping things, banging them around and sliding them on the floor. That’s why durability is important in a toddler puzzle. You don’t want the puzzle to break, shatter or splinter while your toddler is enjoying it.
• For many parents, investing in educational toys is vital. While all toddler puzzles are educational for kids and help them develop new physical and mental skills, you can focus on a specific type of skill with each kind of puzzle. For example, if you want to work on the alphabet with your toddler, opt for one that includes letters. If you want to help them learn the names of shapes or colors, choose one that includes those.