Little ones love to take things apart and put them back together again. While doing this activity, they are working on their hand-eye coordination among other skills. The key is to provide puzzles for toddlers that enable them to know where to put the pieces that they have taken out.
Melissa & Doug Make the Best Puzzles for Toddlers
If anyone makes a good puzzle for toddlers, it’s Melissa & Doug. Their puzzles have several features that little ones are sure to love. First, they make their puzzles colorful and vibrant. The colors are the first thing that attract little eyes. Also, the size of the pieces matches the size of little hands. They make selections with knobs as well as with large, chunky pieces. That way, little hands can more easily pick them up, manipulate them, and then put them back where they go. Plus, the pieces match the pictures on the board.
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Farm: Melissa & Doug have crafted numerous farm scenes for tots to assemble. Each scene is different, but all are true to the farm in one way or another. There are very simple farm jigsaws with large knobs for the youngest tots with the earliest of fine motor skills. Then there is a jigsaw with farm animals that has textures similar to that of the animals on the farm for little hands. Many Melissa & Doug farm scenes have chunky pieces. They have also created farm scenes with pegs, some of which make sounds you hear when you visit a farm. |
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Safari: It may not be possible to take your little ones to Africa to experience the animals, but it’s okay because tots can explore the African Safari in their own homes, thanks to Melissa & Doug’s puzzles for toddlers. They have created two safari jigsaws with pegs. One of these jigsaws features a mom and baby giraffe, lion, zebra, and elephant. The other one features a lion, rhino, elephant, giraffe, zebra, and hippo on an African plain. Melissa & Doug also created a chunky safari jigsaw for the newest problem solvers that features a zebra, elephant, hippo, rhino, lion, giraffe, and ostrich. |
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Pets: As adults, we’re familiar with many different pets. However, tots have not had the same experiences. Melissa & Doug have designed jigsaws with various pets so that you don’t have to bring so many different real animals into your home to be able to introduce them to your little one. There are a variety of pet jigsaws for your little tot to interact with. Some have small pegs, one has jumbo pegs, one has chunky pieces, and two have pet sounds. The pets that are included in these are bunnies, horses, dogs, cats, turtles, lizards, gerbils, frogs, birds, and fish. |
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Dinosaur: Dinosaurs are fascinating creatures no matter how old you are. Melissa & Doug have created many different dinosaur puzzles for toddlers for various age groups. For little hands, they have created two different styles of dinosaur jigsaws. One of their dinosaur jigsaws is the peg style. It features six different dinosaurs on a green background. In the skyline on the peg one is a volcano. The other dinosaur jigsaw is one with chunky pieces. It features a volcano scene in the background. There are six different dinosaurs; some are in the dirt while a couple of them are standing in the grass. |
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ABC: It’s never too early to introduce your child to the alphabet. It is one of those things that we must have memorized at an early age before skills such as reading and writing can be taught. Melissa & Doug make introducing the alphabet fun with their jigsaw creations. For very little hands, they are made with thick, chunky wood. For tots who learn best by hearing things repeatedly, there is an alphabet jigsaw that says the name of each letter as it is placed in its corresponding slot. There are also jigsaws with artwork that begins with each letter sound. |
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Sea Life: Whether you live by the ocean or not, sea life is a big mystery to little ones. But, with Melissa & Doug jigsaws, it doesn’t have to be. You can introduce your littlest tots to sea life with the jigsaw with the jumbo wooden pegs resembling a fishbowl. This creation features three sea animals including a goldfish, sea turtle, and crab. For your tots who are a little bit older and can handle a few more pieces, there are two chunky piece jigsaws and one peg jigsaw. Each of the sea life jigsaw creations features an attractive ocean scene. |
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Insects: Insects are something that little ones encounter almost every day. Some are fascinated by the insects that they see while others are very frightened. The little insect lovers will fall in love with the insect jigsaws that Melissa & Doug have made. Those who are scared of insects may become more comfortable with them after interacting with the insect jigsaws. There are two different insect creations to choose from. One is a butterfly, which consists of five pieces. The other features six chunky pieces, which are in the shapes of a fly, bee, spider, ladybug, caterpillar, and two different butterflies. |
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Shapes: Shapes are another one of those concepts that needs to be introduced very early in life. Melissa & Doug make it possible for little ones to explore basic shapes. They have created a jigsaw for the smallest explorers with jumbo knobs. This jigsaw looks like a house with the sun being a circle piece, the roof being a triangle piece, the window being a square piece, the window being a rectangle piece, and a tree being an oval piece. They also make a chunky jigsaw, jumbo knob jigsaw, and two sound jigsaws featuring all eight basic shapes for older kids. |
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Tools: If you conducted a survey, about half of those respondents will tell you that tools are for boys, while the other half would tell you that tools are for both boys and girls. Either way, jigsaws were made for boys and girls, and both need an introduction to tools. What better way to introduce kids to tools than through a fun jigsaw? That’s what Melissa & Doug thought, too. They have crafted a tools jigsaw with chunky pieces, just right for toddlers. This jigsaw lets little ones explore a saw, two screwdrivers, a hammer, a wrench, a tape measure, and pliers. |
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Construction: If you take your little ones out anywhere during the spring, summer, and fall months, they are sure to see construction crews working on houses, buildings, and roads. In fact, they are probably always asking, “What’s that?” as they point to a construction vehicle. Melissa & Doug have created a puzzle for toddlerswhich focuses on construction so that you can talk about those construction vehicles you saw when you were out and about during playtime at home. This jigsaw creation features six different construction vehicles. The vehicles look like they are working in the mud on a construction scene. |
Why Puzzles for Toddlers Are Educational: There are several skills which can be improved through the use of educational toys like puzzles. One skill tots are working on when completing Melissa & Doug jigsaws is matching. They put the matching pictures on the board so little ones can complete them without adult help and enjoy these toddler toys. Also, hand-eye coordination is improved, as little ones have to watch very closely to be able to make their hand put the pieces in the appropriate places. Fine motor skills are also enhanced with jigsaws. Kids have to twist their hands in different motions in order to make the pieces fit into the corresponding holes. Cognitive skills are also improved using the different jigsaws. With each jigsaw, parents and caregivers can take learning a step further than the pictures alone. After tots learn what each item on the jigsaw is, parents and caregivers can help their little ones by teaching them what the colors are on the jigsaw items, what each item does or how they work, who uses each item, and pointing out the real thing that matches their jigsaw pictures. For shape jigsaws, caregivers can talk about things in their environment that match the shapes on the jigsaw.
Now, when you are shopping for toddler toys you know one of the most educational choices. You also know what brand makes the most durable and attractive jigsaws. You now know some of the choices that Melissa & Doug make and you can find the best ones for your little ones.
