One of my favorite family activities is spending time together doing puzzles. In this house we cannot resist a good puzzle. Puzzles are good for people of all ages but they are absolutely fantastic for toddlers. They give little ones an opportunity to develop fine motor skills. Puzzles also help with hand-eye coordination and problem solving. Below you can find my list of 10 great puzzles for toddlers. All of the below puzzles can be found on Amazon, and some can even be found at major retailers.
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1. Melissa & Doug Jumbo Knob Wooden Puzzles Set – Shapes and Barn
The barn animals puzzle was the very first puzzle in my son’s collection. This one is wonderful because it has big easy to hold knobs for tiny little hands. It also helps to develop early hand/eye coordination.
2. Melissa & Doug Rainbow Caterpillar Gear Toy With 6 Interchangeable Gears
My son received this one as a first birthday gift. It is so much fun to put it together and turn the gears. I love how it makes color sorting more interesting.
3. Melissa & Doug Colorful Fish Wooden Chunky Puzzle (8 pcs)
Have you noticed a trend yet? Melissa and Doug are one of the top children’s puzzle makers. They are typically easy to find, inexpensive, and very durable. This colored fish puzzle helps with color recognition and matching.
4. Cute Pets Baby Animal Chunky Wooden Puzzle for Toddlers
This cute puzzle has large wooden pieces making it easy for small hands to manipulate the pieces. I love the that it features more common household pets.
5. Melissa & Doug Hide and Seek Farm Wooden Activity Board With Barnyard Animal Magnets
Ok, this one may be a little bit advanced for a young toddler. My son enjoys flap books and exploring cabinets at home. This puzzle combines exploration and problem solving.
6. Fat Brain Toys Personalized Name Puzzle
A personalized name puzzle is a great way to teach your child how to spell/recognize their name. These make great gifts and could be later turned into a piece of wall art for their bedroom. I actually picture this on a bedroom door.
7. Melissa & Doug Safari Wooden Chunky Puzzle
Yup, another Melissa & Doug puzzle! This safari puzzle features animals that we frequently see at the zoo.
8. Vehicle & Travel Chunky Wooden Puzzle
This puzzle includes different types of cars as well as an airplane and a boat. The pieces are extra chunky making them easy to grab.
9. Melissa & Doug Deluxe Jumbo Knob Wooden Puzzle – Geometric Shapes
This puzzle is a great way to teach shape and colors. It also features those great big easy to grasp knobs for your toddler’s little hands.
10. Melissa & Doug Shape-Sorting Wooden Dump Truck Toy
Shape sorters are puzzles too. This fun shape sorted doubles as a fun toy. My little guy loves his trucks and this one is so much fun to load up then dump out.
Puzzles also make wonderful gifts for any holiday or occasion. New puzzles are always such a treat in our home, and new challenges are so fun and exciting.
*Tip: Check with other families with children close in age, you may be able to do a puzzle swap to keep things interesting and save money.
Thank you so much for reading,
April J. aka Zona Mom
