Puzzles: the most appropriate ones for each age and their benefits

Scientific studies have shown that playing with puzzles at an early age enhances the development of spatial skills and visual-spatial intelligence, which is the ability to think in three dimensions and perceive the world in three-dimensional images, recreating and transforming shapes and figures. This allows children to imaginatively recreate observed objects and anticipate the consequences of spatial changes.

Playing with puzzles not only has these benefits, but also, among others, the following:

• They acquire cognitive skills, increase visual awareness by constructing buildings, people, animals, etc., and facilitate understanding.
• Enhances problem-solving and increases reasoning skills to complete puzzles.
• They promote the development of fine motor skills.
• Improves hand-eye coordination through continuous trial and error to fit pieces together and improves visual memory.
• Improves concentration to understand the figure they must find and search among multiple options.
• It boosts self-esteem when you meet the challenge of completing the puzzle and solving the initial problem.

Puzzles are games for all ages, and they come in a multitude of different shapes, from the simplest wooden ones to the most typical cardboard ones to the most complex 3D ones.

What puzzles are best suited for each age group? There's a simple rule for determining the approximate number of pieces best suited for each age group:

As you can see, the complexity doubles every year, but like all rules, there are exceptions. We've met 4-year-olds who completed 150-piece puzzles, and 5-year-olds who couldn't finish 20-piece puzzles because they were bored... It depends a lot on each child's taste, experience, and personality.

For the little ones (up to 2 years old), you can start with the simplest puzzles, with 2 and 4 pieces. Do it yourself first to form the puzzle image, and then take it apart. Let them put it back together, and actively help them if they get stuck.

From 2 to 3 years old , they can make puzzles with between 4 and 12 pieces. You can take advantage of this opportunity to introduce them to letters and numbers. In fact, progressive puzzles are a great option for gradually increasing the difficulty.

Between 3 and 4 years old, 12- to 20-piece puzzles are the ones they get the most use out of because they can put them together and undo them very quickly.

At 4 years old, they can complete puzzles with up to 40 or 50 pieces. These puzzles are still simple, but difficult enough to present an easily achievable challenge.

From age 5 onwards , as long as they've completed a few puzzles, and from 200 to 500 pieces onwards, they no longer find them so difficult because it's a matter of patience, a skill they acquire with practice. They finish these puzzles quickly and want to do another one.

For children aged 8 and over, 1,000-piece puzzles, or the more striking glow-in-the-dark ones, are usually the most popular, either because of the challenge posed by such a large number of pieces, or because of some distinguishing feature from the rest of the puzzles.

At CuCuToys, we have over 50 educational puzzles. We're sure you'll find the right puzzle for any age group.

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