My Grandmother loved puzzles.
I remember spending hours staring at 3,000, 5,000, and 15,000 piece puzzles over the Christmas holidays. Searching for just the right shade of blue sky or cloud. Spinning piece after piece hoping to find the right shape to finish the scene we were working on.
Looking back, I see that it helped me develop a keen eye for shape and pattern. It taught me to work hard, to keep the goal insight, and it taught me that sometimes it’s time to go play in the snow for a while.
Here are my top choices for some time spent puzzling yourself.
1. Floor Puzzles
Not much beats spreading out some huge pieces with my kids and creating something amazing!
Our World. If you’re looking to explore the world around us the world map is a great place to start. And you can always get a really big picture of the Solar System.
Something huge! And if you need something with true impact, we have something REALLY big. The Alphabet Train is a whopping 10′ long!
2. Chunky Puzzles
Chunky puzzles are great for little hands that need visual clues. Not to mention that satisfying click when you find the right spot!
Animals are always a favourite in our house. So we played with (and loved) the Farm, Pets, Zoo Animals, and even the Fire Truck puzzles.
3. Sound puzzles
Not everyone is a fan of sound puzzles, but I have to say they can be pretty amusing (for adults as well as kids).
Little knob puzzles with the bonus of a cheerful sound to let you know you’ve done a good job! Some favs are Around the House, Musical Instruments, and the Number and Alphabet puzzles.
And after all that you can always do what my Grandmother did, take them apart for next time, or glue them into a frame and hang them for everyone to enjoy.
Have a good time being puzzled!