Why puzzles are so important for child development
Jigsaw puzzles can be found in many kindergartens, schools and childcare facilities, and there is a good reason for this: jigsaw puzzles are not only fun to play with, but also promote numerous cognitive, visual and motor skills that are important for later life.
Why should children play with puzzles?
Puzzling is much more than just a nice pastime for children. Many educators recommend that children play with jigsaw puzzles because it teaches many important skills. When doing puzzles, children improve their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. These are skills that will also play an important role later in school - for example, in holding a pencil correctly. But that's not all: while doing puzzles, the little ones practise patience and increase their ability to concentrate, their stamina and their frustration tolerance.
They also learn how to solve problems in a strategic and structured way, as they have to sort pieces repeatedly. In addition, children get a feeling for shapes and colours. Children's puzzles thus exert an positive influence on numerous cognitive, visual and manual skills. Oh, by the way: At the end, the little puzzlers are rewarded with a beautiful motif, which leads to a sense of achievement and motivates the kids.
From what age can children play jigsaw puzzles?
Children can already start with their first puzzle between 12 and 18 months. When your child is ready, of course, also depends on the individual stage of development. When he or she can already consciously reach for things, use the pincer grip, pick up objects with thumb and index finger and move them back and forth, as well as recognise and distinguish shapes, it is time for the first puzzle for children. With our puzzles, you can teach your little treasure to do jigsaw puzzles.
Jigsaw puzzles for toddlers from 12 months
The adventure puzzle is already possible for children from 12 months. At this age, peg puzzles, fishing puzzles and wooden puzzles are particularly suitable. However, the sets should contain no more than 5 to 10 puzzle pieces so as not to overtax your little one.
Jigsaw puzzles from 2 years
The best puzzles for children over 2 years old are wooden puzzles with a handle, e.g. from Classic World or Spielba. For the beginning, 4 to 20 puzzle pieces are completely sufficient. Wooden puzzles are easy to solve and whet the appetite for more: the picture is completed using just a few easy-to-grip pieces. The motifs are very colourful and sharpen the sense for shapes and colours.
Jigsaw puzzles from 3 years
From the age of 3, the puzzles can be a little more challenging. Now the little explorers are already able to put pieces together. For this purpose, frame puzzles such as those from Djeco or foam puzzles from Roter Käfer are ideally suited for this. The puzzle may now contain more than 20 pieces. But be careful not to overtax your little treasure - puzzles should always be fun for the kids and not overtax them.
