Looking for the perfect puzzle for your whole family? Meghan G. tried a few with her kids this week! We have these puzzles in stock at the store, and you can order online via the link in the blog. Enjoy!
Looking for something to entertain your stir-crazy kids? Me too! Luckily, we are a family that generally has at least one puzzle going at any given time. My 7-year-old got into puzzles in a big way about a year and a half ago when he got a 300-piece shark puzzle for Christmas. It took him several weeks, but his sense of accomplishment when he finished was epic. In the last six months he’s gone through three different 500-piecers and just opened his very first 1,000 piece puzzle. (If I’m honest, I’m guessing it will realistically be on our dining table for months.) More comfortable in the 60-100 piece range right now, my 5-year-old isn’t quite as single-mindedly ambitious about his puzzle quests, but when he sees his brother working diligently, he often gets inspired and takes out one of his own. Personally, I recommend the MudPuppy brand for kids. In my experience, the designs are appealing to kids, filled with fun, often humorous imagery and bold colors. With sturdy, well-cut pieces that consistently intersect smoothly, they’re also great for inexperienced puzzlers.
MudPuppy definitely offers good options for little ones, particularly in the 25-piece range. Coming in big chunky boxes (to house the big chunky pieces inside), these puzzles offer easy to grab pieces and satisfyingly large final images.
In the 100-piece range, my family has especially liked the glow-in-the-dark options (which give an extra ego boost to the puzzler when it comes time for showing off what they’ve made) and the reversible Cats & Dogs Double-Sided Puzzle. The reversible one is great because it’s really buying twice the activity in one box. These are the perfect size for intermediate puzzle enthusiasts, partly because they don’t look too daunting when they come out of the box.
However, for family’s currently self-isolating at home, the 500-piece options might present a fun challenge. I think MudPuppy’s Pet Portraits puzzle is a great intro puzzle for kids who haven’t tackled something with quite this many pieces before. Because each boldly colored pet portrait is individually framed (and no two frames are quite alike), it’s easier to compartmentalize, strategically focusing on building out a few portraits at a time.
For a more seasoned puzzler, I think the Mammals with Mohawks (also 500 pieces) is excellent. Still really fun in design and concept, there are fewer colors throughout and no frames around each featured mammal, so identifying the correct spot for each piece takes a little more work. Luckily, the box comes with a little poster of the image that kids can move around to help them figure it all out.
Right now we have a great selection of puzzles on hand at the store, from 2-piece toddler-sized versions to a couple, epic 1000-piecers. So give us a call and we’ll help you pick out the right one. With free shipping until March 22 and curbside pick-up from 9AM – 8PM, now’s a great time to stock up on activities to keep everyone busy while we’re social distancing and spending quality family time at home.
-Meghan G, Children’s Book Buyer & Programming Director
BookPeople 