PUZZLES FOR KIDS ARE THE BEST!

I love puzzles for kids. Don’t get me wrong – I’m a huge fan of all toys – but I have long called puzzles the most perfect toy. Puzzles (and puzzle games) enrich our kids’ lives so much…I’ll happily surround them in all the puzzles we can find.

RELATED: Looking for more gift recommendations? Check out my 100+ best toys for kids list!

How do puzzles help kids?

Puzzles are INVALUABLE in the way they help our children and give them so much learning goodness in just a little bitty box.

When a child is doing a puzzle, that child is:

• Using spatial awareness to rotate pieces
• Problem solving
• Improving visual discrimination by looking for details
• Concentration / independent work / Patience
• Fine motor skills to pick up small pieces
• Hand-eye coordination to turn the pieces
• Intrinsic motivation and the desire to accomplish a task for your own personal gratification

So yeah, puzzles are REALLY great for kids.

RELATED: You know what else is good for kids? Board games, and I’ve got a whole list of them!

When can kids start working on puzzles?

Puzzles are an on going part of childhood and one that they will start naturally.

Around age one, I typically begin introducing puzzles because I want this to be a life long love.

There was nothing I loved more as a teacher than watching a group of first graders work their behinds off trying to put together a 100 piece floor puzzle before the bell rang.

Kids love puzzles and we need to encourage this.

Start a puzzle collection for kids to grow with

I love having a variety of puzzles, and yes – some might be “young” for my older kids but they still love them, they still play with them, the puzzles are still good for them.

I know when you’re cleaning up the toy room, you don’t mind cleaning up the puzzles even though it’s “easy” for you. Kids are the same way.

My gift giving tip?

I usually buy my kids a puzzle or a board game at every holiday / birthday to keep growing our collections of these. It’s a fabulous gift to give a child.

Busy Toddler’s List of the Best Puzzles for Kids (of all ages)

The following list contains affiliate links. Busy Toddler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.

NOTE: I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO PUT THIS LIST IS ORDER OF DIFFICULTY (TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY).

Color and Shape Wooden Block Sorter

It’s an oldie, it’s a goodie, it’s such a fantastic puzzle for tabies and toddlers.

Big Knob Puzzles

They’re a classic and the first step in kids learning to do puzzles. I loved this one for my daughter – she’s been an animal loving kid since day 1.

Chunky Clock Puzzle

Shapes. Colors. Clock. Puzzle. This one literally check every box.

Wooden Bug-Catching Puzzle

These are some of my favorite “kinds” – a magnetic bug lifts the pieces in and out of the puzzle. It’s a little added challenge and I am here for it.

Farm Chunky Puzzle

I love a good chunky puzzle – a great introduction to puzzles for our littles.

Wooden Peg Puzzle

This vehicle peg puzzle has been a family favorite since 2015 and we still haven’t outgrown it.

Instrument Sound Puzzle

I’m a huge hater of any toy that makes sounds but not this one. There’s something about it that doesn’t bother me, the kids love the tones of the instruments, it works.

Wooden Latches Board

It’s a puzzle with door twist and it’s just the absolute coolest.

Alphabet Blocks Puzzle

One of my hands down favorite puzzles and not the easiest one to do. It’s challenging in the best way – my daughter was two when she got this and now at age 6, it’s still a hit.

Magnetic Maze

This is the sweetest little maze puzzle with the cute moving elements and sorting, too. It’s really a perfect little magnetic wand puzzle – we love owning this.

See & Spell Learning Toy

A really really cool letter puzzle for kids working on reading.

Under the Sea Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle

A wooden jigsaw puzzle in a frame is a great “next step” puzzle AFTER the chunky ones have been mastered.

Solar System Floor Puzzles (48 pieces)

This will forever be one of my favorites and the memory of kindergartners putting it together is burned in my brain.

Animal Magic 100 Piece Puzzle

As kids age, large floor puzzles are where it’s at!

300-Piece Puzzles

When my kids were newly 5 and 7, they fell in love with these 300 piece “adult” puzzles. They’re a great place to go after children have “mastered” all the kid-level puzzles.

IQ Twist (logic game)

This solo player puzzle game says 6 to adult on the package. That is 100% accurate. My husband LOVES sitting with this puzzle game.

Tangram Pattern Block Puzzles

Tangram puzzles are HARD – which mean they are the perfect puzzle for kids to grow with.

Mosaic Mysteries

My husband had this puzzle in the 1980s and my kids LOVE it at Grandma’s house. The box says 8+, but I put it more at 6+.

Perplexus

It’s not exactly a puzzle, but it’s all about spatial awareness, problem solving, and critical thinking. This ball maze is TOUGH – ages 8+ is what the box says. It’s been a 5+ here (and an equal obsession for my husband).

• Smaller ball maze
• Lakeshore’s The Maze Cube
• Hape magnet maze

Rush Hour Jr

It’s another not-quite-a-puzzle, but a seriously fantastic logic game for kids. Problem solving and critical thinking abound here. This is a perfect “quiet time” activity for kids.

• Farm Animal Logic Game
• Dinosaur Logic Game

BONUS: Wire Puzzle Storage Rack

I would be lost without my puzzle racks as storage – I love this one so much, we have two of them.

What are your favorite puzzles for kids?