Puzzles are a great, quiet-time activity for kids of all ages, but it’s important to be creative when it comes to buying the right puzzle. The 48 piece Melissa & Doug Fairy puzzle that my 4 1/2 year old loves and does repeatedly is too advanced for my almost 3-year-old, who prefers her chunky peg puzzles and colorful Kid-O puzzles. The wrong puzzle can be boring or, worse, frustrating. Once you pick the right level of puzzle, choose a favorite subject matter and you have a winning combination.
Pottery Barn Ballerina Puzzle, $19: Lovely to look at and fun to assemble, this 48-piece puzzle is designed for kids ages 3 and up. There’s also a Fairy version.
Kid-O Colorful Puzzles, $10-14: These wooden puzzles are a favorite of my girls, and I love their simple, striking designs and the fact that they teach important concepts, like Short to Tall, Narrow to Wide, and Shade Matching. With Free Shipping, you can’t miss!
It’s a Small World Puzzle, $19.95: Designed to appeal to all ages, this colorful puzzle features an international group of charming children encircling a globe.
Animal Tower Puzzles, $16.95: I love these portable puzzles, which feature Jungle or Barn animals that stack together to form a tower, all inside a handy little box. Land of Nod also offers well-made tray puzzles featuring World Faces, Animals, or a map of the United States, $7.95 each. All with free Shipping!
DC Comics Puzzles, $19 each: Fans of the classic comics will love these bold, colorful 48 piece puzzles! Available in Batman and Superman.
Color Me Puzzles, $19 each: I love these creative puzzles, which allow kids the chance to color in their favorite themes: Farm, Fairy or Dino.
3D Animals Puzzle, $14: Young puzzle players will love the colorful setting and the three-dimensional stand-up animals!
Foam USA Puzzle Map, $29.95: This oversized floor puzzle makes learning geography fun!
Puzzle cubes, $9.98: The youngest players will love these chunky wooden cubes, which feature sweet vintage scenes on all six sides. Slightly older players will also adore these wooden block puzzles, which feature bold, colorful animals, $27.95/set of 2.
Puzzle Maker, $24.95: Kids can turn a favorite drawing or photograph into their very own personalized puzzle with this clever machine, which is recommended for kids ages 5 and up.
Multiple Solutions Puzzle, $19.95: Ease frustration for young puzzle players and enhance creativity with these ingenious multi-solution puzzles, shaped like a bug or a robot. Another cool concept from Kid-O.
Jill Mannino Peck says
That is soo funny. I bought puzzles, from Target’s dollar section for my niece (3) and nephew (5) for Christmas. His was a glow in the dark dinosaur and her’s had glitter. Ben, my mother in law and I did the dinosaur puzzle and were getting frustrated. It was only a 100 pieces! But Ben did finish it in the end!