Jigsaw Puzzles for Kids

Jigsaw puzzles have been around for centuries and nearly every home has at least a few puzzles in a closet somewhere.  Inexpensive and incredibly varied, there are jigsaw puzzles available for every age group, from toddlers just learning their colors and alphabet to adults – the basic concept is the same, its just he complexity that changes.

Jigsaw puzzles are designed for everyone these days, the first puzzles were designed as a learning tool for kids in the mid 1750s.  John Spilsbury, a mapmaker from Europe, created the jigsaw puzzle as a learning tool to teach children geography.  Specifically, to study the different countries that made up the British Empire at the time.  He simply took one of his maps, affixed it to a thin piece of wood and using a fine saw, cut out the individual countries and territories.  Although these puzzles, or “dissected maps” as Spilsbury named them, became quite popular, their distribution was limited to the very wealthy as they were time consuming and expensive to produce.

As time passed, jigsaw puzzles remained popular, but still limited to only those who had enough income to purchase them.  Manufacturing processes improved, but they were still primarily hand cut and made of wood.  It was not until the early 1930s that die cut puzzles began to appear on the market.  This made it much cheaper to mass produce cardboard puzzles and also allowed more intricate puzzle piece designs.

Jigsaw puzzle mania reached its peak during the 1930s.  In 1933, over 10 million puzzles were being sold each week; many of these were “weekly” puzzles that were sold at newsstands with magazines and newspapers.  The majority of puzzles were produced for adults, there were still quite a few simpler puzzles designed for children.  As continues today, many of these are designed to be educational as well as fun.

Jigsaw puzzles for kids can help them learn in a number of ways.  For toddlers, a wooden, plastic or rubber jigsaw puzzle with simple pieces can help them practice their fine motor skills and coordination.  For older children, jigsaw puzzles can be a fun way to learn their letters, numbers, shapes or vocabulary.  For older kids (as well as adults), puzzles can be a great way to learn geography – the same way that John Spilsbury’s puzzles did over 250 years ago (although admittedly, the British Empire “dissected map”  is somewhat easier to do these days!).  Lastly, jigsaw puzzles are a great inexpensive family activity that everyone, children and adults, can enjoy together.

Below are some of the most popular jigsaw puzzles (although some are quite simple for younger kids) for kids:

The Melissa & Doug Underwater Floor Puzzle is a colorful and fun puzzle designed for younger children.  It measures 36” x 24” and has 48 large, easy to clean, heavy duty cardboard pieces.  The size of the pieces make them hard to lose, and easy to handle for little hands.  Challenging, but not too difficult, this puzzle will help a child improve their problem solving abilities and dexterity – and the colorful green and blue ocean floor background is full of fun and interesting sea life.  The large size allows more than one child to work on it at once, so it’s perfect if your child has friends over.

This puzzle harkens back to the basics of jigsaw puzzles, or “dissected maps” as known 250 years ago!  This fun floor map replaces the British Empire of 1760 with the current United States; it’s still an excellent learning tool for children learning the names and locations of the states.  Although not precisely a standard jigsaw puzzle due to the non-interlocking shapes of the pieces, the jumbo sized puzzle is made of durable heavy grade cardboard pieces and features all fifty states die cut in the appropriate shapes.  Even though the puzzle is designed for children, it can help adults learn the locations of the states… There always seems to be a few that are just hard to place!

Is your child a fan of Thomas the Tank?  If so, this may be the puzzle for him or her!  Unlike the majority of jigsaw puzzles, this puzzle is not a rectangle, but when completed, takes the shape of Thomas the Tank.  With only 24 pieces, the puzzle is perfect for younger children (it is recommended for ages 3 through 10, but older children would probably not find it as interesting or challenging).  The puzzle is manufactured by Ravensburger, a company known for their quality puzzles.  It is made of high quality green Kappa cardboard and uses a matted finish to make the pieces easier to see and manipulate.  The large puzzle measures 24” by 36” when completed.

This puzzle is a simple puzzle (or puzzles to be exact) designed for young children. It features nine puzzles; three 2-piece puzzles, three 3-piece puzzles and three 4-piece puzzles. The large pieces are color coordinated and feature different outlines and illustrations. The Infantino Colors and Shapes Puzzle is great for helping children improve their hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills, as well as reinforcing the names of different colors. The puzzles come in a handy bucket with a rope handle – great for keeping children’s play areas neat and tidy!

Most jigsaw puzzles these days are made of cardboard, but wood puzzles are still available in many designs and styles.  This is especially true for puzzles designed for younger children where the larger size of the pieces makes for easier handling and the enhanced durability allows wooden puzzles to last longer, even with heavy use.  Melissa and Doug’s African Plans Jigsaw Puzzle is a good example of this.  The 24 piece puzzle features a bright design that includes some of the most popular African animals, including an elephant, giraffe and lion.  The puzzle itself is made of sturdy wood and includes a wooden storage tray which can give younger children a bit of help when putting the puzzle together.