Looking for a way to bring puzzles back to life? Try making a puzzle sorting station. This post explains how to revitalize puzzle play in your home, create a puzzle sorting sensory bin, and what kids are learning when working with puzzles.
Why you should try a puzzle sorting station?
Do you have a toddler who is iffy on puzzles?
Maybe a preschooler who has outgrown their puzzles?
A child who loves puzzles and loves sensory bins and will go bananas if these two loves combine?
The puzzle sorting station is perfection. It checks off every box for our kids and makes for one fantastic activity.
Looking for more structure each day?
Check out Playing Preschool: Busy Toddler’s 190-day at-home activities program
Puzzle sorting is a magical activity
Some activities are just spectacular.
Like the pouring station.
Or the LEGO bath.
They work for a ton of kids, varying ages, different levels and make time move just a little faster on days when it might actually be moving backwards.
I decided it was time to try the puzzle sorting station with my youngest (3) who hates puzzles.
RELATED: Need some recommendations on new puzzles? Try this list! of my family’s favorite puzzles, from toddlers to adults.
That’s right. My son is not a puzzle fan.
He’s never connected with them. He’s never loved them. Puzzles are not what makes him tick.
His brother and sister? Very into puzzles. Different kids, different interest.
But I know that puzzles are so valuable for kids so I do want to introduce them to him (and you never know, a fun introduction to a toy can be the catalyst a child needs for future play / a stronger relationship to the toy).
How do puzzles help a child?
Puzzles do a whole lot of good for kids – they are filled with amazing learning.
When a child is doing a puzzle, they are learning:
- spatial awareness (how an object is oriented to others)
- patience
- concentration
- problem solving
- shape recognition
- hand-eye coordination
Puzzles aren’t just about fun. Puzzles are some serious business.
How do you set up a puzzle sorting station?
I set a towel on my carpet to define the learning space for my son. In my 28 qt storage container (this is a 28 qt bin from Target), I dumped my beloved resealable storage bag of years old rice (about 5 lbs worth).
I found three good chunky puzzles and dumped the pieces into the rice.
Now it was my toddler’s job to find the buried, hidden pieces – sort them out – and place them into the correct puzzle.
RELATED: Wonder how I did this activity without a big mess? I taught my son how to be tidy with bins.
Puzzle success with a sorting station
The photos in this post document the first time I had ever seen my three-year-old sit and do a puzzle. He actually stayed with this activity for 20+ minutes.
He even came back later and buried the pieces again. He set up his own puzzle sorting station and that is too cool for words.
Sometimes, kids just need a little twist on a toy or to have it presented in a different way and magically, it’s brand new to them.
Here are some other ideas for how to switch up toy use and make something feel new and exciting again:
- Box road: pairing toys that don’t normally go together in an activity
- Dinosaur bath: giving kids a chance to clean a toy can get them excited to play with it again
- LEGO bath: letting kids take plastic toys into the tub can give it new life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Toddlers are very capable puzzle solver. I would start with the chunky puzzle and hang their for a while before moving to jigsaw and floor puzzles.
Whatever you believe is the right number. It’s the truth. You will have to decide this for your family based on your space, home, and interest levels.
No! Just like food, kids have a specific taste in toys and it’s our job to observe and understand their “taste.” Not all kids will love puzzles and that’s okay.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
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