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Why Puzzles are so Important for Kids Learning?









From early childhood right through to adulthood we love to play with puzzles.  We like the way they challenge our thinking and exercise our minds.

Puzzles are also an important educational learning tool for toddlers and young children as they provide many skills and cognitive learning benefits and opportunities. 

Benefits of Playing with Puzzles

Cognitive Skills: 

Puzzles come in a whole range of themes and topics such as alphabet letters, shapes, vegetables, numbers, pets, transport and colours.  It increases their visual spacial awareness and develops a deeper understanding of these themes and topics.  All children learn differently and puzzles may be their medium for grasping an understanding of certain themes such as alphabet letters.

Problem Solving: 

Completing a puzzle, even the most simplest of puzzles sets a single goal to achieve.  Toddlers and children must think and develop strategies on how to approach in achieving this goal.  This process involves problem solving, reasoning skills and developing solutions which they can later be transferred into their personal/adult life.

Fine Motor Development:

Puzzles are a fun way for children to develop and refine their fine motor skills.  When engaged in playing with puzzles, children are required to pick up, pinch and grasp pieces (some with small knobs, pegs or chunky pieces) and move them around, manipulating them into slots, sorting them and fitting them into the correct places.

Hand and Eye Coordination:

 

Playing with puzzles requires a trial and error process which involves a lot of hand and eye manipulation.  For example, as a toddler or child places a piece of the puzzle that does not fit, they will try all over again where their actions involve doing what they actually see.

Social: 

Puzzles are a great educational tool to enhance and promote cooperative play.  As kids work together to complete a puzzle, they will discuss where a piece should go and why, take turns and share and support each other when handling frustration, then sharing the joy of finishing the puzzle.

Self Esteem: 

The accomplishment of achieving a goal brings so much satisfaction to a child.  Overcoming the challenges involved in solving a puzzle really gives them a sense of achievement and pride within themselves.  It provides a boost to their self-confidence and self-esteem as this prepares them for other challenges in life.

Puzzles are a fun educational toy that challenges young minds, teaching and preparing them early in life some very important life skills.

34 thoughts on “Why Puzzles are so Important for Kids Learning?”

  1. I love the house puzzle because it combines an interesting shape with colours and numbered pieces – heaps of learning opportunities!

  2. My favourite Qtoys puzzle is QT960 Delicious Apple Puzzle as the bright colours are good for learning colours and also it teaches children how to put an apple together.

  3. Wild Life Animal Puzzle & Play Set – it’s like 2 toys in one. Use it as a puzzle and also as a play set as the pieces stand up on their own.
    Love toys that are able to be used in several ways and bring out your childs imagination.

  4. I love the Double Tanagram, because it has any number of different arrangements or ‘solutions’ that can be created. It’s like open-ended play, but for the world of puzzles 🙂

  5. Alicia @ Box Hill Area Toy Library

    I think that the Little Turtle Puzzle would go really well in our collection – and the kids would simply love it!!

  6. Double tangram has so many configurations and challenges that it be used by anyone of any. Perfect for all my 5 children 🙂

  7. I like the Double Tanagram as I think it would challenge my little one. I think it might help her to continue to try and try again – with some encouragement from me. I love to see when she “gets” something and how excited she is.

  8. I love the felt foods. i have some and they’re great because the kids play and they get dirty or wet or chewed on and you can throw them in the washing machine. They pack away better than wooden ones and dont dent wooden floors 🙂

  9. New follower here loving what i have read so far.
    I love the apple puzzle it is so bright and eye catching 😀 It looks like a puzzle that my 26month old would pick up form a store and ask me to “buy please”

  10. My favorite is QT960 Delicious Apple Puzzle as it makes agreat display piece until the kids are old enough to play with it, and the colours really interest the young and old

  11. My First Word Puzzle looks fantastic
    Made from wood, nothing plastic!
    Big thick letter easy to for my little one to grab
    Great for introducing the alphabet as well!!

  12. Erynne Maree Campbell

    I love the apple puzzle. Incorporates all the colours but using fruit which is promoting healthy eating. One ill def be getting i the future 🙂

  13. Really love the 4 in 1 puzzle with the house, car, boat and bug that features in your pictures but can’t find it on their site so the clock would be a close second

  14. The puzzle that interested me the most on the website was the Colour Puzzle Level 2. It looks like a good chalenge that could keep you busy for quite some time. I couldn’t tell, but if there were more than one way to solve the puzzle, that would be even better!

  15. I love the Delicious Apple puzzle. It would capture my daughters attention with its bright colours and familiar shape.

  16. I love the clock puzzle! Great for learning numbers and colours and telling the time. So educational and I know my daughter who loves clocks at the moment would think it is great!

  17. my fav would have to be the clock puzzle – what a great way to teach a child to tell the time – also love how the core has the clues – great puzzle 🙂

  18. I love the butterfly puzzle because my daughter would enjoy grabbing those big wooden knobs, and we don’t have any with giant knobs. She struggles to get ahold of the smaller knobs on puzzles and would really like that one!

  19. I had no idea that puzzles were so good at building up kids’ self-esteem by challenging them. I like how you said that it stimulates their brain and helps them learn life skills for the future. I am considering getting a wooden jigsaw for my son so he can learn by having fun.

  20. As a parent, for bought a boy and a girl, I can say puzzle games especially for my 3,5 years daughter, have done amazing things. Every activity that they do with their hands help their brain evolve. I have lots of wooden jigsaws and all sorts of puzzles. And every day one of their favorites activities is building puzzles!

  21. Yes, I completely agree with your thoughts. Puzzles present many benefits for kids learning. Puzzles not only exercise kids’ minds but also challenge their way of thinking.

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Hi and welcome to Learning 4 Kids!

Hi and welcome to Learning 4 Kids!

My name is Janice and I am an Early Childhood Teacher in Australia.

I have a strong passion and love for teaching and creating meaningful learning experiences for my students. What I love most is watching children discover in those amazing light bulb moments. I hope Learning4kids brings you some useful ideas.

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