How to teach your toddler to do a jigsaw puzzle?

Jigsaw puzzles have always been a lot of fun for people of all ages.

Kids and adults alike enjoy the serenity and challenge of completing a puzzle.

But what about toddlers, kids aged from 1 to 3 years?

Can they do jigsaw puzzles too?

The answer is yes, they can, but you may need to give them some help and coaching, and that will be the focus of this article.

Are Jigsaw Puzzles Good For Toddlers?

Putting together a jigsaw puzzle is not only something to occupy a toddler’s time.

The challenges of even simple jigsaws have a number of benefits.

Jigsaw puzzles naturally get the brain focused and engaged.

It’s been shown that jigsaw puzzles increase problem-solving skills, enhance mood, raise a person’s IQ level, enhance spatial skills and attention to detail, improve memory.

When collaborating with another child or adult it will teach kids about teamwork as well.

As you can see, there are many benefits of jigsaw puzzles for toddlers and, indeed, people of all ages.

Always Choose Puzzles Designed For Toddlers

The first step in the process of getting toddlers interested in and completing jigsaw puzzles is to purchase puzzles designed for their specific age group.

This not only ensures they are capable of completing the challenge, but the pieces will also be larger, negating any safety concerns regarding small children putting jigsaw puzzle pieces in their mouths.

Puzzles Australia offers a number of jigsaw puzzles suitable for toddlers, and you can choose from the very easy 12-piece puzzle range or the 30-piece jigsaw puzzle. Both varieties work well for toddlers.

Personalised Puzzles For Toddlers

A personalised kid’s puzzle is a fantastic idea.

In this instance, you and your child choose an image and upload it to our website, where it is then transformed into a customised jigsaw puzzle.

When jigsaw puzzles are personalised with a favourite image of your child, it enhances their interest and curiosity in working on the puzzle.

Not only does the jigsaw puzzle itself depict the selected image, but so does the box the puzzle comes in.

A personalised puzzle for a toddler also makes for a great gift idea for Christmas and birthdays.

Build the Puzzle First As a Demonstration

This could be the task of a parent or an older sibling.

Demonstrate what to do by building the puzzle in front of the toddler.

Take your time with it, so they fully embrace what you’re showing them.

It’s also important not to make it look too quick and easy, as your toddler may become frustrated if they struggle to do it as efficiently as you did.

Extract Pieces From the Puzzle

Once you’ve completed the puzzle, extract one or two pieces from it and have the child place them back into the jigsaw.

This gives them a clearer idea of what it’s all about and how a jigsaw fits together.

It provides a very basic and simple way for them to get a feel for jigsaws before starting to complete the entire puzzle themselves.

Dismantle the Puzzle

The next step is to dismantle the puzzle into its individual pieces but have them all correctly oriented to make putting the jigsaw back together more logical and easy.

Once they successfully piece the puzzle back together, dismantle it again but this time, mix up all the pieces.

Completing the puzzle now will prove to be a lot more challenging.

However, with the previous practice performed in the earlier steps, in time, they’ll be able to put all the pieces back together in a simple jigsaw puzzle.

Always supervise your toddler when they are learning how to build jigsaw puzzles.

Be patient and only lend a helping hand when absolutely necessary.

Otherwise, let the child try and work it out for themselves once they have had some practice.

Once they’ve mastered one puzzle, you can purchase more puzzles for them to accomplish.

Buy Jigsaw Puzzles For Your Toddler

Puzzles Australia is your premier online marketplace for jigsaw puzzles for toddlers and people of all ages.

You can either choose from our catalogue of available images or create your very own personalised jigsaw puzzle by uploading your own image.