If your kids are anything like mine, puzzles are in constant rotation with things they play with. From educational puzzles for toddlers to just plain fun puzzles, puzzles are a great way to challenge kids and encourage them to exercise their mind!
But what are some of the best puzzles for toddlers?
Let’s be real, puzzles are fun for toddlers just as much as they’re fun for adults! Who doesn’t love a cozy weekend at home with a 1,000 piece puzzle to work on?
Our family always pulls out a puzzle for holiday get togethers or family vacations. It’s so fun to work together to finish the puzzle before our time together comes to an end!
Best Puzzles for Toddlers + Kids
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1. DJECO in the Jungle Puzzle
- A unique puzzle that increases in difficulty as the child grows in skill; build the lion, zebra, elephant and giraffe
- First sort by color then build each animal one by one, the more pieces in each animal the more challenging it becomes; 18 pieces
- Helps develop skills in problem solving, fine motor, concentration, memory, color and shape sorting, and visual reasoning
- Made from the highest quality materials that resist peeling, fading and creasing; precision cutting assures all pieces fit together smoothly
- makes a perfect gift for the intrpid toddler puzzlers 2+
We have a DJECO puzzle and our kids love it! Start with a 3 piece puzzle (the lion) and get all the way up to the giraffe (6 pieces!). This DJECO in the Jungle Puzzle will be a great way to talk about jungle animals and challenge your kids!
This puzzle also comes in different animal themes – garden animals, sea animals and forest animals!
2. Melissa and Doug Pets Chunky Puzzle
- 8-piece wooden puzzle featuring pets
- Pieces stand up for use as manipulatives or play pieces.
- Chunky wooden pieces are easy for little hands to grasp.
- Full-color pictures beneath the pieces offer visual clues.
- Encourages hand-eye coordination and imaginative play.
This Melissa and Doug Pets Chunky Puzzle is a great way to start your toddler on puzzles. They’ll love seeing some of their favorite animals and you can practice saying the animal sounds as you practice the puzzle!
3. Melissa & Doug Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles in a Box – Vehicles
- FOUR FUN VEHICLE-THEMED PUZZLES: The Melissa & Doug Vehicles Jigsaw Puzzles includes four 12-piece puzzles featuring a race car, steam engine, school bus, and fire engine.
- STURDY WOODEN STORAGE BOX: Our car puzzles for toddlers can be easily stored in the included sturdy wooden storage box that doubles as a puzzle board.
- HELPS DEVELOP MULTIPLE SKILLS: This jigsaw puzzle helps children develop strong hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and problem solving.
- GREAT GIFT FOR KIDS AGES 3 TO 6: The Vehicles Jigsaw Puzzles in a Box is an exceptional gift for kids ages 3 to 6 years. Add the Melissa & Doug Dinosaurs 4-in-1 Puzzle to round out the hands-on, screen-free play experience.
Your puzzle loving toddler with loves these four fun vehicle themed puzzles! There’s 4, 12 piece puzzles featuring a race car, train, school bus and fire truck. This Melissa & Doug Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles comes in it’s own box for easy storage!
Best for your older toddlers (ages 3-6). Also comes in Dinosar or pet versions!
4. Slotic Wooden Puzzles for Toddlers
- Pack of 6
- Made with high-end eco-friendly wood
- Includes large pieces that cannot be swallowed, making it ideal for all kids above the age of 1 year old.
These bright and colorful Wooden Puzzles are a great way to introduce your child to different colors and also help them learn how to do puzzles! It’s a set of 6 puzzles with different animal shapes.
This puzzle set gets over 400 great reviews on Amazon!
5. Wooden Preschool Colorful Shape Puzzle
- ERFECT EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR YOUR TODDLERS- Our wooden puzzle is specifically made to be the perfect fit for 18 months and up, include 1 puzzle board and 9 wooden pieces with different shapes and colors, easy to play, suitable for many occasions, meanwhile educational and joyful for toddlers easily spending one hour or two.
- PREMIUM BUILD- Unlike other wooden colorful puzzle that break down over time, this wooden puzzle made of premium, sturdy, durable wood that will stand the test of time.
- NO SAFETY HAZARDS- The board is 7.88 x 7.88 x 0.5 inches, nice sized for toddlers’ hands, non-toxic and safe durable coatings, and wooden pieces are not too small that posing a choking and splinter hazard. It won't do any harm with its light weight and round edges to both your little ones and furniture or wooden floor.
Introduce your toddler to shapes and colors with this Wooden Preschool Colorful Shape Puzzle! It gets over 4,000 amazing reviews on Amazon. It’s well loved by parents and teachers alike!
6. Wooden Alphabet Puzzles
- 【New Upgrade Version】: Toddler learning board with 26 pcs preschool chunky counting alphabet puzzle.
- 【Safe And Healthy Toddler Toys】: wooden number puzzle Made of 100% natural wood and non-toxic water based paint; size of number puzzle are big enough to avoid choking.
- 【Montessori Toys For Toddlers】: great educational toys for 3-5 years old boy and girls to improve their ability of ABCs learning and color cognition and inspire kids’ imagination creativity, visual perception skills, imagination, curiosity and discovery skills; as well as promote their physical and intellectual development.
This Wooden Alphabet Puzzle is bright and colorful and a great way to help your child learn about colors and letters! The colorful letters make this an enjoyable puzzle to play with. You can also use the pieces to play sorting games or color matching games when you need a break from doing puzzles!
7. Wooden Puzzle Shape Sorter
- 🌞 [Montessori Toy for Toddlers 1-3 Early Education]: This wooden sorting and stacking puzzle contains 16 pieces including blocks of 4 colors and 4 geometric shapes. You can ask your baby about numbers, colors, and shapes and then try to make different combinations. These educational Montessori toys can help your child's little minds are eager to learn numbers and geometry, build color recognition and exercise the kid's space concept.
- 🌞 [Multi-Sensory Development]: Our Montessori developmental stacking toy it’s an easy game that involves mounting one piece on top of the other piece. With various multi-play features, the little ones can build it, stack it and thread it, learn shapes and colors from circle to triangle and red to blue, or simply build random objects and patterns, It's the best way to exercise babies' hand-eye coordination ability.
This Wooden Puzzle Shape Sorter is a different type of puzzle! If you have a child who loves duplo legos, this type of puzzle is great for them. This puzzle combines a building, counting, and stacking element to the puzzle. Your child will love figuring out which shape goes where.
8. Melissa & Doug African Plains Jigsaw Puzzle 24 pc
- AFRICAN-THEMED WOODEN PUZZLES: The Melissa & Doug African Plains Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle features 24 durable wooden jigsaw pieces that fit together smoothly and display beautifully detailed African animal scenes.
- STURDY WOODEN STORAGE TRAY: Our safari wooden jigsaw puzzle for kids comes with a sturdy wooden storage tray, made of high-quality and durable materials that holds all 24 pieces.
- HELPS DEVELOP MULTIPLE SKILLS: Melissa & Doug wooden puzzles help children develop strong hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and problem-solving skills.
As your kids get older you can introduce them to puzzles like this 24 piece Melissa & Doug African Plains Jigsaw Puzzle! There are lots of different animal varieties of this cute 24 piece puzzle. The colorful pictures are fun to put together!
9. Peaceable Kingdom Shimmery Magical Mermaid Floor Puzzle
- UNIQUE DESIGN: Create a colorful mermaid with this Shimmery Magical Mermaid floor puzzle! You’ll find fish and other sea creatures on this puzzle too. This puzzle has thick, sturdy pieces with foil accents.
- TOYS THAT TEACH: Floor puzzles are a great way for kids to learn visual recognition and develop their fine motor and problem-solving skills. This puzzle is perfect for boys and girls.
- FUN FOR ALL: The completed puzzle measures nearly 3 feet by 2.5 feet. With 41 large pieces, this puzzle is perfect for any child. This puzzle is for kids who are ages 3 years old and up.
A floor size puzzle of a mermaid? Yes, please! This is the perfect puzzle for that mermaid loving child in your life!
This puzzle has foil accents to make it extra special and extra sparkly!
10. Melissa & Doug Busy Barn Shaped Jumbo Jigsaw Floor Puzzle
- UN & EDUCATIONAL FLOOR PUZZLE: The Melissa & Doug Busy Barnyard-Shaped Floor Puzzle is a 32-piece big floor puzzle that measures 2’ x 3’ when assembled.
- BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK: Our 32-piece floor jigsaw puzzle for kids features beautiful original artwork that depicts a realistic barn with a horse, a cow, ducks, pigs, and more.
- EASY-TO-CLEAN SURFACE: This large kids’ puzzle is made from durable, extra-thick cardboard pieces infused with an easy-to-clean surface that keeps the puzzle looking new.
Floor puzzles are always a hit and kids love them! This one is so fun with the barn and all the cute animals!
Your kids will learn animals while learning the art of putting together puzzles. Bonus – this one is easy to clean in case of spills!
11. Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards
- A set of 120 wooden blocks in various shapes and colors
- Encourages kids to enjoy a classic math manipulative and learning activity
- Great for spatial awareness, color recognition, hand eye coordination and problem solving
- Double sided boards to provide kids with even more creative play options
I first saw this Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards at my son’s preschool and after seeing him work so hard on each puzzle I knew we needed it in our home!
It has brought hours of entertainment to both of our kids and they love practicing putting each puzzle board together!
12. Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Clock
- PRE-SCHOOL FRIENDLY CLOCK: The Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Clock is an entertaining and educational toy that includes 12 removable pieces for teaching time-telling and more.
- STURDY WOODEN CONSTRUCTION: Melissa & Doug early development toys are made to last. This colorful toy for toddlers and preschoolers promotes color and shape recognition and time-telling skills.
- ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL: The Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Clock is designed to teach younger children fine motor skills, numbers, colors, shapes, and concepts of time. The clock features rotating minute and hour hands and 12 shaped number pieces that fit into recessed wells. Also includes extension activities to reinforce early-learning concepts.
This Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Clock will help teach your toddler about puzzles, clocks/telling time, numbers, shapes AND colors! What more could you want?
This is a great puzzle to have in your home because it grows with your child. You start out with shapes and colors, move to numbers, and then, of course, you can use this to help learn to tell time. This puzzle is great for families with more than one child as kids in different developmental stages will equally enjoy this!
13. Petit Collage Outer Space Floor Puzzle
- PUZZLE FOR KIDS – The Outer Space 24-Piece Floor Puzzle from Petit Collage has big sturdy pieces that are perfect for little hands. The completed large floor puzzle measures 18” x 24” and is perfect for ages 3+.
- BRIGHT ILLUSTRATION – This jigsaw puzzle features a bright, bold, detailed illustration that offers plenty of things to spot once the space puzzle is complete. Building puzzles promotes hand-eye coordination and the development of problem-solving skills.
Our kids love giant floor puzzles and this Petit Collage Outer Space Floor Puzzle is a great option! Big enough for small hands but easy enough for a toddler to complete, this puzzle even comes with it’s own storage case with a handle for bringing to grandma and grandpa’s!
14. My Body Suuuper Size Puzzle
- Includes a large (48x68cm/19x26.5") double-sided educational poster with lots of facts about the human body and senses
- Puzzle pieces made of high-quality, thick cardboard are perfect for little hands
- Teaches about the human body in a funny and comprehensible way
- The large, keepsake box with a practical handle makes it a great gift
My last puzzle for you is this cute My Body Suuuper Size Puzzle. Another great floor option that talks about your body, inside and out!
This is a fun puzzle to get if your child is beginning to understand the concept of bones (your bones are growing so strong!) and other systems of the body (your heart is beating to help blood go to your body!).
This would also be a fun puzzle if your child is anxious about the doctor – you can help them understand a little bit of what the doctor is checking on in their body!
Toddlers + Puzzles – What to Know
Can Toddlers Do Puzzles?
Yes! They’re clearly not going to be able to do the giant thousand piece puzzles like mom or dad but simple puzzles (you’ll see some examples below!) are a great way to introduce them to the concept of puzzles.
What Age Can Toddlers Do Puzzles?
It really varies on each child but typically you can start introducing around a year to get them exposed to puzzles. Most toddlers can begin to complete simple puzzles around 18 months.
I like introducing them earlier even if they don’t do what they’re supposed to right away! You can also get your other kids involved!
Our oldest 2 (ages 2 + 4) tell our almost 1 year old about what the different animals are or what colors they see. It can be a family affair!
How Do You Teach a Toddler to Do a Puzzle?
The best part about toddlers and puzzles is you don’t have to do much to teach them! A lot of it will be trial and error.
You can show your toddler where a puzzle piece goes or put the piece near where it goes and help guide it in but they’ll quickly understand the concept. Don’t be frustrated or stressed if they don’t catch on quickly!
Some kids get the hang of it right away while others take a bit longer. As long as they’re interested in it keep letting them practice! Just be sure to start with easy puzzles for them to learn with.
Benefits of Playing with Puzzles
There are so many benefits of your toddler playing with puzzles. It’s great for cognitive skills since puzzles come in a huge range of themes and topics. Your child will be exposed to different colors, numbers, letters and so much more through puzzles!
Puzzles are great for problem solving. As we learned earlier, there’s a lot of trial and error when it comes to learning how to do puzzles. This will help them in thinking strategically and achieving goals.
They’re also great for hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. They’ll work on picking up different size pieces, moving them around and placing them into the correct spots.
Puzzles are so helpful for concentration and patience. We like to encourage our kids to not quit in the middle of the puzzle and to keep trying different things until the finish the puzzle. Asking for help can be part of the process!
There’s so many different ways that puzzles help kids so keep encouraging kids to do them!
I hope this post helps you not only learn about why puzzles are great for toddlers and kids but inspires you to pick up one or two to start (or continue!) doing puzzles at home. There’s so many great options out there!
Be sure to also check out my favorite baby walkers or 25 gifts for toddlers they’ll actually use!
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