10 Incredible Benefits of Puzzles for Toddlers
There are so many amazing benefits of puzzles for toddlers. From language and vocabulary development to improving cognitive skills, the educational opportunities with this activity are truly abundant.
There is good reason why puzzles have been one of the most popular educational toys for over 200 years!
Since puzzles come in so many shapes, colors, and sizes, your kids will never get bored! As they grow older, you can also increase the complexity of the puzzle to further your child’s development.
Here are 10 benefits of puzzles for toddlers:
1. Spatial Language Learning
Puzzles are actually an amazing language activity for toddlers, especially when it comes to spatial vocabulary.
Children learn new words like top, bottom, over, under, inside, outside, and between.
A study published in ScienceDaily found that children who learn spatial words at a young age are more likely to have better spatial thinking as they get older. This enhanced spatial thinking is incredibly important for future math, science, and technological success.
2. Fine Motor Development
Puzzles are thought to be one of the best fine motor activities for child development.
Those little muscles in your child’s hands and figures need a lot of practice in order to become efficient with holding and moving objects.
To successfully complete a puzzle, kids need to pick, up, hold, maneuver, and place the different pieces in the correct position. This is a great way to really improve those fine motor movements.
3. Cognitive Development
In terms of activities for cognitive development, puzzles are definitely at the top of the list!
This fun and easy activity can help children improve basic cognitive skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical reasoning.
According to an article from Sciencedaily.com, a child’s cognitive developmental level actually predicts how they will complete a puzzle. 3-year-olds tend to use a trial-and-error method, whereas 4-year-olds will use the picture on the box as a reference to complete the puzzle.
4. Early Math Skills
Three important early math skills are spatial sense, patterns, and grouping. As children work through a puzzle, they are developing all three of these essential skills.
They will develop spatial sense as they figure out how certain pieces fit in relation to other pieces.
They will learn about patterns since they may have to identify a specific pattern within the puzzle.
Kids will also have to group and categorize the different pieces based on shape, color, and where they will fit in the puzzle.
5. Color and Shape Recognition
Around 2 years of age, children will start learning about the abstract concept of color and shape recognition. Unfortunately, these concepts are very difficult to grasp for young children. A child is not expected to know most of the common colors until they are around 5-6 years old.
Puzzles are one of the best ways to help your child begin learning about all the different shapes and colors. I always to lean toward buying colorful puzzles that have some sort of shape recognition concept for my children.
Here are a few of my favorites:
- Shape sorter (age 1-2)
- Wooden puzzle stacker (age 2-3)
- Jigsaw puzzles (age 3-4)
6. Hand-Eye Coordination
Playing with puzzles from a young age is a great way to develop hand-eye coordination.
The activity of puzzle building requires a child to pick up a piece, assess where it will fit, and then place it in the correct spot on the board. If it does not fit then they have to redo the entire process.
Learning this skill is incredibly important for helping toddlers become more independent. When kids learn to use their hands and eyes together they tend to have an easier time performing daily tasks like tying their shoelaces or drawing on a paper.
7. Confidence
Puzzle building is a great way to help foster the development of your child’s confidence. Successfully completing a puzzle provides a tangible and visible achievement, which helps create a sense of accomplishment in the child.
This is also a great time to provide positive feedback and encouragement which will also help to enhance your child’s confidence and self-esteem!
It should be noted that the difficulty of the puzzle should match their developmental level. If it is too difficult the child will get frustrated and give up.
8. Perseverance
Puzzles play a crucial role in instilling perseverance in toddlers. As kids engage with puzzles, they encounter a series of trial-and-error situations, where each attempt brings them closer to solving the puzzle.
The process of persistently trying different approaches helps children develop a resilient mindset, teaching them that setbacks are a natural part of the learning process.
9. Concentration
Successfully completing a puzzle takes a significant amount of uninterrupted time! This is why puzzles are a great activity for improving concentration and attention span.
The process of matching and fitting pieces together helps children direct their attention to a single task. As they navigate through the puzzle-solving process, kids develop the ability to block out distractions and maintain a heightened focus, which helps to improve their attention span and concentration.
10. Therapeutic
The last benefit of puzzles for toddlers is the therapeutic effect for children. This simple activity gives children a little break from the constant busyness of life.
Quietly working on a puzzle helps children release stress and encourage mindfulness. It is also a great way to wind children down after a stimulating activity.
These are just 10 of the many benefits of puzzles for toddlers and preschoolers. I hope you enjoyed learning about all the ways puzzles can enhance your child’s life! Happy puzzling!
