Summer is great for children. The time off from school seems endless and even if they are enrolled in summer camp, they still end up with much more free time. This extra time on their own might lead to more screen time unless you are careful.

If you are trying to limit screen time, providing alternatives to your child is an important step. Books for summer reading, games that they can play without a screen like cards and board games, and good old fashioned puzzles are great options! 

There are so many puzzles for kids out there and it can be difficult to find the right ones for your family. That’s why the team at Sawyer came together to show you the best puzzles for kids, toddlers, and babies so your family can have fun and keep exercising their brains this summer.

Best puzzles for kids

• Benefits of puzzles for kids
• Baby puzzles
• Puzzles for toddlers
• ~Wooden puzzles for toddlers
• ~Puzzles for 2 year olds
• ~Puzzles for 3 year olds
• ~Puzzles for 4 year olds
• Kids puzzles

Benefits of puzzles for kids

Why should you add puzzles to your shopping list and children’s toy collection? There are so many benefits of puzzles for kids, no matter their age. 

1. Stronger fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. When babies, toddlers, and even young kids do puzzles, they need to practice the hand eye coordination and fine motor skills needed to pick up small pieces and slot them into the puzzle.
2. Opportunities for forward thinking and problem solving. When you boil it down, puzzles are just a problem that needs to be solved. When children do puzzles, they need to think ahead and flex their problem solving skills.
3. Increased spatial awareness. Understanding the specific shapes of the pieces and the openings in the puzzle is essential to spatial awareness. When children do puzzles, they get to practice this ability so that it improves.
4. Improved memory. Studies show that when children and adults do puzzles, they successfully remember more items.
5. Longer attention spans. Puzzling also helps children improve their attention spans since they typically have to work at the puzzle for long periods of time.
6. Enhanced perseverance and resilience. Even 10 piece puzzles are difficult for young children, but when they work hard, they get to see that they can succeed.
7. Increased self-esteem. After the perseverance comes the good feelings! Children get a self-esteem boost when they complete something difficult like a new puzzle.

Baby puzzles

Now that you have an understanding of the benefits of puzzles for kids, let’s dive into our favorite puzzles for all ages. Baby puzzles should be large enough that they are not choking hazards, but even so, you should never leave your baby alone with a puzzle. Likewise, choose baby puzzles that are durable. 

Baby puzzles are a great way to make learning fun for your little one. There are lots of great, educational baby puzzles that your child will love. Here are some of our favorites!

1. Shapes & animals learning puzzles. This 2 pack is great for your baby to start exploring shapes and animals while practicing handling the pieces.
2. Alphabet learning puzzle. Similarly, this puzzle is perfect for introducing your baby to the letters of the alphabet!
3. Baby Shark puzzle. Does your baby bounce around to Baby Shark at all times? If so, they will love putting Mama Shark, Baby Shark, Grandma Shark, and the whole family together.
4. Pop up puzzle. This hide-and-seek puzzle helps infants strengthen their fine motor skills as they press, slide, turn and toggle to make the animals pop up.
5. Block puzzle. One of the most common puzzles for babies is actually not a puzzle in the traditional sense. The block puzzle asks babies to find the shape and put it in the right sized hole in the box. Perfect for introducing shapes and spatial awareness.

Puzzles for toddlers

The main goal of a toddler is to explore and discover. Puzzles are a great way to give them space to learn on their own while practicing the many skills they need to actually put the pieces in the right place. 

The best way to get your toddler excited about puzzles is by choosing puzzles that fit into their interests. Does your little one love construction, animals, CoComelon, or something else entirely? There’s probably a puzzle for that! Here are some of our favorite puzzles for toddlers to get you started.

Wooden puzzles for toddlers

You might notice that a lot of the puzzles for toddlers are wooden. That’s because wood can stand up to the might of a little one on a mission. We recommend purchasing wooden puzzles for toddlers so that you don’t have to replace them over and over again.

Puzzles for 2 year olds

1. Vertical baby animal puzzle. This puzzle is actually 4 in 1! All of the pieces are vertical, but children need to know what each animal looks like to put it together.
2. Puzzle pounder. For this puzzle, toddlers get the option of just putting the pieces into the puzzle (which is actually a construction bench) or using a small hammer to “pound” them in. This is a great way to make puzzles a bit more fun for your little one!
3. Hedgehog spike puzzle. Don’t worry: they’re not real spikes! For this puzzle, your toddler can practice fine motor skills by placing the spikes into the hedgehog's back. 
4. Weather dress up puzzle. Does your little one fight to wear shorts even when it’s freezing out? This puzzle will help them learn more about the appropriate clothes for each type of weather.

Puzzles for 3 year olds

1. Wooden and magnetic fish & bug catching puzzle. This is a fun puzzle for toddlers (aged 3 and up). They can “catch” the pieces with a magnetic fishing rod and then practice putting the puzzle back together after!
2. Farm animal puzzle with sounds. Bring the sound of the farm home with this puzzle that includes sound effects for each piece. You and your toddler will be moo’ing along in no time.
3. CoComelon puzzle. Is your toddler always begging for you to turn on Cocomelon? If you are trying to avoid screen time, this puzzle is the answer! It includes the sounds from their favorite show, plus they get the mental exercise of working through the puzzle.
4. Montessori rainbow stacking puzzle. This beautiful stacking rainbow puzzle inspires creativity and fun for your toddler. It is based on the Montessori Method of learning, which helps children practice agency over what they want to do and learn.

Puzzles for 4 year olds

1. 12 piece jigsaw puzzle. This set of 4 mini puzzles can be your toddlers first foray into the art of jigsawing. With 4 very different scenes (farm, dinosaurs, zoo, and jungle), they won’t get bored!
2. Basic skills puzzle. A different kind of puzzle, this board includes a buckle (belt and seat belt), button, lace, and snap so that toddlers can practice basic skills while puzzling. It’s a great way to get them comfortable with these items before teaching them to buckle themselves in, tie their shoes, and more.
3. Clock puzzle. If you are trying to get your toddler interested in learning how to tell time, this puzzle can help. They can practice looking at a clock and understanding the minutes and hours hands while still having fun learning shapes, colors, and numbers. Plus, it glows in the dark!
4. A-Z dinosaur puzzle. This puzzle helps toddlers build a dinosaur by following the letters of the alphabet. If your toddler doesn’t know their ABCs yet, you can help them out!

Kids puzzles

As children grow older, try to encourage them to continue with their puzzle adventures. Children (and adults) who puzzle gain a large variety of benefits including better memory, more patience, increased academic performance, and less overall time spent on screens. Here are some of our favorite kids puzzles for inspiration, but we recommend asking your child what type of puzzle they are interested in so that you know they will enjoy it.

1. Giant Pixar floor puzzle. This is a 60 piece jigsaw puzzle that can cover the whole floor! Kids will love putting together their favorite Pixar characters in a larger than life puzzle while gaining an appreciation for the art of the jigsaw.
2. Search & find puzzle. After your child puts together this 64 piece puzzle, they can play a game of I Spy to try to find the 40+ animals and insects hiding within the story. Can they find them all?
3. Tetris puzzle game. This is a unique kids puzzle because they can make it whatever they want. They can play Tetris or they can use the unique shapes and colors to create a flower, robot, house, umbrella, or anything else!
4. Solar system puzzle. Learn about space while doing a puzzle! Your child will love the opportunity to explore space from their bedroom. This puzzle is out of this world.
5. United States map puzzle. Similarly, this puzzle, which is also a map of the United States, is a great way to add some geography to your child’s puzzle time. Encourage them to learn about the different states as they put the pieces together.

We hope this list of the best puzzles for kids, toddlers, and babies has given you what you need to get your child puzzling this summer! If you are looking for great in-person and online camps and activities for your children, check out what our wonderful educators are offering on Sawyer!