20 Engaging Puzzles for Toddlers
As loving parents, we’d bottle up sunshine and rainbows if it meant our little ones thrived. From choosing the softest clothes to whipping up the yummiest meals, we’re constantly seeking ways to nurture our child’s growth. And that’s where puzzles for toddlers come in—a secret weapon recommended by pediatricians themselves!
Puzzles for toddlers aren’t just playtime distractions; rather, they are like tiny gyms for developing minds. Imagine strengthening spatial awareness, igniting sensory exploration, and building fine motor skills—all through the joy of putting pieces together!
Plus, certain puzzles can even introduce your tiny geniuses to fascinating concepts like anatomy and spelling, sparking their curiosity early on in their childhood.
But hold on, with endless options out there, choosing the perfect toddler puzzle for your little Einstein can feel overwhelming. When should you start? Which kind of puzzle ignites their specific stage of development? What are some greatly captivating puzzles for toddlers? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
This article is your one-stop shop for the most amazing puzzles for toddlers. We’ll unveil a vast bunch of age-appropriate puzzles that are guaranteed to turn playtime into pure learning magic and even answer your questions about the best baby puzzles.
So, get ready to witness the joy of discovery unfold, piece by piece! Here’s what you will find:
- Puzzles For 1 Year Olds
- Puzzles For 2 Year Olds
- Puzzles For 3 Year Olds
- Preschool Puzzles For Your Toddler
- What is the utility of toddler puzzles in a baby’s development?
- When Should You Introduce Your Toddler to Baby Puzzles?
Let’s get started and give your smart baby the brain stimulation they need.
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Engaging Puzzles for Toddlers
Our toddlers are natural explorers, constantly unraveling the world around them. But what if playtime could be even more magical? Today, we have 20 interesting puzzles for toddlers that will enchant them into becoming a problem-solving genius!
Puzzles for 1 Year Olds
The thing about babies that have just started crawling or walking is that they are very easily distracted, even more so than infants. Their newly acquired ability to move means that they will try to grab and go after whatever catches their eye.
So, if you are looking for puzzle games for toddlers, you have to make sure that they are fun and interactive and will hold their attention. Keeping that in mind, here are some puzzles for 1 year old toddlers that you should check out:
1. Montessori Single-shape Puzzle
Ideal for accelerating hand-eye coordination, this is one of the best puzzles for 1-year-olds to get started with. Do you know how toddlers go through that see-and-grab stage? This puzzle is sure to satisfy their curiosity and keep their tiny hands busy.
It is a very simple single-shape puzzle by Elite Montessori and features different shapes on individual trays and each shape comes with a knob built to withstand the endless fiddling of the little ones.
Apart from the shapes, the toddler will also be introduced to the concept of big and small as well as get a sense of new tactile environments when they trace their hands over the slots and the shapes.
Get this puzzle here for $16.99!
2. Self-Correcting Jigsaw Puzzle
For 1-year-olds, only the most basic jigsaw puzzles (the ones that do not have too many pieces to be brought together) are most appropriate; otherwise, they will lose interest!
This Head and Tails—a 15-piece self-correcting animal matching puzzle by the Learning Journey—is a real hit among parents of toddlers because of its colorful animal designs as well as uncomplicated usability.
Little learners will love the animal theme of these puzzles. Matching each head to the correct tail is a fun way to explore the world of animals.
In this puzzle, the toddler will have to piece together two pieces of their favorite animal. It can be a hands-on way to teach them problem-solving skills that they can re-enact in other situations. It can also increase focus and short-term memory by repeatedly playing with the puzzle.
Get this puzzle here for $9.99!
3. Wooden Touch and Feel Puzzle
Are you looking for the best puzzles for one year olds that will combine both the concept of a jigsaw and sensory exploration? Then this Mellissa & Doug First Play Wooden Touch and Feel Puzzle is the perfect choice for you.
It is a four-piece wooden, chunky puzzle with textured animal pieces (Peek-a-Boo Pets) that is perfect for pretend play. The design features bright colors, bold patterns, and whimsical designs that boost skills while sparking imagination and wonder.
Interacting with the furry, textured animals, piece by piece, grasping them as well as matching the colors, boosts sensory development and fine motor skills. There is also a mirror fitted in the center of the puzzle tray, which is a novel addition allowing your little ones to explore themselves while playing.
Overall, this puzzle lives up to the tagline—Recharge their imaginations, not their toys.
Related Article— How to encourage a toddler to talk?
4. Montessori Toy Shape Peg Puzzle
Do you wish to introduce your baby to simple shapes in a playful and fun manner? Then a geometric puzzle is the one to go for. This Montessori Toy Shape Peg Puzzle by Dailyfunn is one such toddler puzzle toy that deserves all your attention!
It comes with 12 pieces of different shapes in 6 beautiful colors. Moreover, each piece has a chunky screw that is easy to control with untrained toddler hands!
For the safety of your baby’s tiny hands, all the pieces have rounded edges that eliminate any chances of injuries. The paint is also kept non-toxic, as babies often tend to put random items into their mouths.
Here’s what Kazi says about this product:
“I’m really satisfied with this product, which I purchased for my 18-month-old. The lightweight design makes it easy for my baby to play with, and the variety of colors helps my little one learn both shapes and colors effectively. He has been playing with this for 6/7 months and is still in really good shape.”
Get this puzzle here for $15.99!
5. Animals Mini-Puzzle Pack
Have you ever noticed that your baby loves to cry out loud when you’re traveling on a plane or enjoying dinner at a restaurant? Well, they can’t help but scream when their tiny minds have to take in all the new information about our world all at once!
Keeping this in mind, we have found one of the best puzzles for 1 year old that would keep your baby engaged, even when you’re outside having fun.
This puzzle pack from Melissa & Doug contains four mini puzzle boards with slots for four animals each. The boards are stacked on top of each other and can be slid in and out of the box, making the design compact and easy to carry around.
Each of the puzzle trays contains slots for different animals, whose design is kept as close to real as possible without making it boring. That is why, it is also an educational puzzle set that can help toddlers learn about different animals at their own pace.
Additionally, the string attached to all the pieces prevents any choking hazards, making it a blessing for parents who have to multi-task while caring for their baby.
Get this puzzle here for $15.99!
Puzzles For 2-Year-Olds
The difference between a 12-month-old toddler’s brain development and one that is close to becoming 2 is huge. The areas of distinction range from language skills, self-sufficient movement, communication ability, and most importantly, the evolution of a clear personality in a toddler!
This is why toddler ages are always counted in terms of months, and it makes sense because puzzles that a 13 to 15-month-old would love to play with may not necessarily intrigue a 20-month-old.
So, here are some puzzles for toddlers age 2 or maybe just a little less than two:
6. Sorting & Matching Educational Egg Toy
For the little ones who love anything and everything about the kitchen, so far as to make the utensils their playthings, this puzzle might be something they end up adoring!
This is a Sort and Match educational egg toy by Kidzlane that is designed to look exactly like real eggs, but the twist comes with the geometric shapes that are embedded in between the eggs, making it a puzzle. Kids love cracking these open to discovering color and shape combos, and then putting them together again!
Other than matching shapes, there’s another variant that is based on matching colors and numbers instead. So, you can pick between the two as both designs of these interactive eggs promote creativity and skill development. From color and shape recognition to fine motor skills, this is the ideal toy to educate your children through play.
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7. Wooden Peg Puzzles: Letters, Numbers, and Shapes Set
Melissa & Doug never fails when it comes to designing exciting puzzle toys and this ultimate set of puzzles is no exception! The Wooden Peg Puzzle features an all-in-one puzzle set that comes with numbers, letters, and shapes, and that’s not even the best part of this product.
The real fun begins when your kids take any of the letters or numbers out and see what is hidden underneath—THEIR FAVORITE DISNEY CHARACTERS!
Yes, you got it right! Kids can lift the letters and numbers to reveal Disney characters like Winnie the Pooh, Alice, Cinderella, and many more. This puzzle set makes a delightful gift for kids age 2 and gives them another engaging option for screen-free fun.
8. Number Puzzle for Kids, Montessori Toys
Looking for a fun, hands-on way of teaching your kids about numbers? Then, this exciting puzzle for 2-year-olds by CozyBomBTM is basically the only puzzle you need! It combines three different playthings in one, featuring numbers, shapes, and pegs to stack rings and practice counting!
Admittedly, learning numbers at 2 years of age can be difficult, but that has been made easy with the beautiful concept of this puzzle. All three puzzles are interconnected through colors, so not only does it improve number recognition in your baby, but it also enhances hand-eye coordination skills, teaches color recognition, and encourages creative play!
And even if they don’t want to remember numbers or countings so soon, your children will still enjoy stacking and stashing these puzzles on the board.
9. LiKee Open-Ended Wooden Shape Puzzles
Watch your kid’s imagination come to life—The LIKEE pattern block set comes with 36 wooden pieces and 60 pattern cards including animals, vehicles, etc. Using this interactive puzzle, kids can try to build what is shown on the cards or maybe create their own designs by putting together pieces as their heart says!
So if your kids feel bored when drawing in the traditional way, try this product! This fun puzzle set is sure to spark their interest and make them want to draw in a new approach.
Although the manufacturer’s instruction says that this is a puzzle for 3-year-olds, parents have reviewed it to also be appropriate for toddlers that have crossed the 25th month of age!
For ease of use, there is also an instruction manual for rearranging the shapes into different animals. Reading the manual will require direct and active participation from the parents, but that will offer your toddler a wonderful time piecing together the shapes to make dogs, spiders, toucans, and many more things.
Get this puzzle here for $14.99!
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10. Easter Basket Stuffers Toddler Learning Toy
If you are looking to add sensory play toys to your toddler’s toy collection, then this Montessori Sensory Toy by Yetonamr should be a perfect addition. This wooden sorting and stacking puzzle features 20 pieces, including blocks of 5 colors and 4 geometric shapes.
Sorting and stacking is a proven methodology to test cognition levels among kids. This puzzle can help your little one practice fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving in the easiest way possible! Plus, it also provides a good opportunity for advancing verbal skills and color recognition.
Get this puzzle here for $9.98!
Puzzles For 3 Year Olds
When a child reaches 3 years of age, it is quite expected that they will have a well-developed sense of themselves and the world around them. In simple words, they are old enough to tell you their own name and have a basic concept of language and numbers.
They can also move around easily without any help and they do not feel the separation anxiety they felt when they were younger!
More importantly, this is also the time when they learn and memorize the most—be it names, spellings, and faces of people they love playing with, pet animals, etc. Therefore, the puzzles that they can play with at this stage will also be a little advanced.
Here is a list of age-appropriate 3-year-old puzzles that your growing toddler can play with:
11. Toddlers Noah-Ark Wooden Animal Puzzle
As noted above, your toddler is now ready to take on some advanced-level puzzle process that taxes their mind to the fullest and expands their horizons. So, here is a jigsaw floor puzzle that develops kids’ imagination and logical thinking ability.
It comes with 51 pieces and has a detailed guidebook with animated stories regarding Noah’s Ark.
With this product, you get a puzzle that will keep your toddler engaged for quite a while as they can do it alone and even in a group. It also makes a great gift at Christmas, birthdays, and holidays.
However, playing with this puzzle set may require adult supervision for the first few times, as the pieces may be difficult to attach. But once your smart little human figures out what pieces need to be put together, they can engage with the puzzle without any help!
12. Crocodile Creek 36-piece Jigsaw Floor Puzzle
Treat your kids to a whimsical adventure with this 36-piece floor jigsaw puzzle, suitable for children aged three and above! This puzzle features colorfully designed artwork from artists around the world and offers a creative atmosphere when put together at your home.
The puzzle comes in 15 different themes including,
- Backyard Bugs
- Dino Land
- Garden Friends
- Jungle Safari
- Space Explorer
- Over the Rainbow
- Unicorn Dreams
- And many more!
You can choose the theme that entices your toddler the most, as different kids like different things!
The pieces are big enough to avoid becoming a choking hazard, but they are of just the right proportion to boost the fine motor skills of your toddler.
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13. Stacking Cups
Stacking Cups toy is not just a fun plaything but also a great learning tool that helps in many areas of development. Besides boosting fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, playing with this puzzle can also help with the perception of depth, size, and spatial awareness!
It may not seem special to us adults, but a toddler being able to correctly stack cups in volumetric order as well as creatively balance them on top of one another is a massive milestone in terms of cognition.
Read what Suzanne feels about this:
“This toy is one of two stacking toys in our house and our baby loves this one. She can play with them for an hour and there’s hardly a day she doesn’t find a new way to play with or analyze them.”
Get Stacking cups here for only $6.99!
14. Old MacDonald’s Farm Sound Puzzle: Farm Animal Toys, Sound Puzzle
Yet another awesome educational toy by Melissa & Doug, this is the perfect toddler puzzle for familiarizing the little ones with animals and their sounds!
The wooden toddler puzzle in this set not only teaches animal sounds but also comes with directions and lyrics for children to sing along with. For instance, Old MacDonald starts a song and animals complete their verses (for example, the pig sings, “And on that farm, he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O [. . . etc.]”).
This puzzle helps teach hand-eye coordination and problem-solving and enables the development of auditory processing skills. With eight attractive and beautifully crafted illustrated pieces, it is easy for children to join in to sing along and have a lot of fun!
Get this melodious puzzle here for $16.99!
15. Classic Wooden Shape Sorting Cube
Imagine your little one’s face lighting up as they grasp one of the chunky, vibrantly colored shapes in this Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube!
There are 12 in total, just the perfect size for their curious little hands to explore. Can they fit the star through the star-shaped hole? The circle through the circle? Each successful match is rewarded with a satisfying “clunk” sound, letting them know they’ve done it right!
But the fun doesn’t stop there! Once all the shapes are sorted, just lift the lid and dump them all out – giggle time! The cycle of sorting, matching, and emptying can continue for hours, keeping your toddler entertained while they learn.
So why wait? Order yours today and watch your child unlock a world of discovery, one colorful shape at a time! Get it here for $13.29!
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Preschool Puzzles For Your Toddler
The pre-school age group is considered between ages 3 and 5. This is a huge developmental phase for toddlers as they become young kids and grow both physically and mentally. So, to keep up with their school work, here are some puzzles for three year olds and up that they will love:
16. 7-Pack Chunky Wooden Puzzle
Get ready to unleash a world of colorful learning with this fantastic 7-puzzle pack! Made with chunky wooden pieces that are just the right size for curious explorers (ages 2-4), these puzzles are more than just playtime—they’re a developmental adventure!
Envision the excitement as your little one tackles each puzzle, piecing together a menagerie of friendly animals, a bowl of juicy fruits, or maybe even the building blocks of numbers! Every successful “click” is a mini victory, rewarding them for their perseverance and problem-solving skills.
This fantastic wooden puzzle pack is built to withstand the enthusiastic play of curious toddlers. It’s a perfect gift that will keep them entertained for hours, all while nurturing their growing minds.
17. Fat Brain Toys Tobbles Neo
This unique toy contains six vibrant and colorful stacking spheres that are designed to be arranged in multiple different configurations. It is an ideal puzzle for tactile and sensory play!
Balance, nest, spin, wobble, and stack. Experimenting with the configurations encourages the children to explore new shapes and create anything they want.
Get this puzzle here for $29.95!
18. The Learning Journey: Match It—Head to Tail
An ideal puzzle for developing your child’s memory and recognition skills! This toy by The Learning Journey features animals with heads and tails that can be attached to complete the puzzles. Children who love animals will love the fun Animal Kingdom theme of this puzzle.
Exploring the different animals provides ample opportunity to learn about animals and their world—great for boosting conversational skills and vocabulary.
As your child develops the skills needed to play and succeed with this game, their confidence is also growing and motivating them to be more open to new and exciting learning opportunities.
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19. HABA Rainbow Whirls Wooden Sorting & Stacking Rings
Sorting and stacking children’s wooden puzzles are acclaimed for their developmental capacity to foster fine motor skills and recognition of shapes, patterns, and colors in children! As pre-schoolers, toddlers have a basic ability to differentiate between two colors but they may not know specific names yet.
This puzzle provides a good opportunity to teach them all about colors and also helps in improving their hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
20. ThinkFun Roll & Play
This is a bit different from your average puzzle, as it is more like a game that is meant to tickle your toddler’s creativity and imagination to the fullest.
It comes with one large plush cube along with action cards that contain different activities written on them, such as “giggle and laugh”, “jump 5 times”, “give a hug,” etc.
This puzzle engages the critical skills of a child, encourages both fine and gross motor development, and promotes a perfect and proven methodology of stealth learning among the kids through different activities.
What is the utility of toddler puzzles in a baby’s development?
This is probably the most frequent query a parent might have concerning letting their toddler play with puzzles. The simple answer to this is that it stimulates the little one’s brain, forcing it to challenge and exercise itself.
More specifically, here are some of the areas of development related to puzzle play:
- It helps them take the first step towards learning and memorizing, as puzzles require concentration.
- It builds spatial awareness in toddlers.
- Handling the puzzle pieces or pincer grasping them helps improve fine motor skills. It also increases hand and eye coordination, as the baby needs to locate the correct pieces and put them in the right slot.
- It builds the fundamentals of geometry by introducing the toddler to new shapes.
- The multicolored puzzle pieces can be a visually stimulating play for the kids and also help them identify colors.
- Toddlers learn about specific topics such as animals, birds, fruits, vegetables, etc. from different puzzles.
- Puzzles help them hone their problem-solving as well as decision-making skills as they are encountered with the problem of a piece that does not fit and they have to find the right place for it.
- Finishing a puzzle set and receiving praise from parents, siblings, or family is a healthy way in which a child builds their self-confidence.
When Should You Introduce Your Toddler to Baby Puzzles?
Most babies develop some sense of their surroundings by the time they are 8 months old. Simple puzzles can be made a part of their regular playtime from 9 months onward. Or, if you wish to properly assess when your baby is ready, just keep an eye out for when the little one starts to grab and control simple everyday things with their hands.
It can be the feeding bottle, the bib, or the toys hanging from the crib. This indicates that sensory development is taking place in the baby and that he/she can have fun with puzzles.
Start with something fundamental, such as matching colors, and let them just play with it without any restrictions at first. Slowly, you can include yourself in the game and help them imitate your movements.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about wood puzzles for preschoolers and toddlers:
What kind of puzzles are best for toddlers?
Since, with toddlers, there is always the possibility that they might choke on something small, always go for puzzles with big and chunky pieces that have no sharp edges. Also, keep an eye out for the type of paint used on the wood and choose only the non-toxic ones.
What are Montessori puzzles?
Montessori puzzles are typically made of wood and are always designed with an educational purpose. They are often built to represent real-life objects and are widely used in teaching specific concepts and skills to little toddlers.
Are wooden puzzles better than cardboard Puzzles?
There is no relation between the efficiency or the fun derived from a puzzle and its material. It’s just that wood is more durable and is better suited to deal with incidents where your toddler accidentally sits on it or drops it from a high area.
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