Image: MomJunction Design Team
Nowadays, children as little as 3-year-olds spend their time watching videos and playing games online. To divert their attention from the screen, you can get some of the best puzzles for 3-year-olds. These puzzles can also be a learning tool as they help kids develop their fine motor skills, foster independence, boost their confidence, and promote several areas of emotional growth. Kids can also sharpen their problem-solving abilities and learn perseverance through puzzles. Check out our list of parent-recommended puzzles to pick the right one for your child.
Top Picks
15 Best Puzzles For 3-Year-Olds
1. Best For Hand-Eye Coordination:CozyBomB Wooden Number Puzzle
CozyBomB’s number puzzle is made from natural wood and is suitable for children aged three and above. Its edges are smooth and painted with multiple coats of water-based, non-toxic paint. Trusted and tested by reviewers, these educational puzzles help improve imagination, hand-eye coordination, creativity, and color-matching awareness. It includes various activities such as stacking the blocks, naming the colors, sorting rings by color, and more, making it one of the most favorite puzzles of children.
Pros
- Thee-in-one set
- Montessori-based
- Environment-friendly
- Develops shape-sorting ability
Cons
- Tiny pieces can be choking hazards
- Does not come with a storage box or may be difficult to store
Quick tip
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
The product has garnered more than 8,668 positive reviews on Amazon.
2. Best For Logical Thinking: iPlay, iLearn Toddlers Noah’s-Ark Wooden Animal Puzzles
iPlay, iLearn Noah’s-Ark Puzzle can be an ideal choice if you are looking for a sturdy and durable puzzle set for your toddler. Manufactured with natural wood, every piece of this puzzle is solid and bulky. It has 51 pieces that can be held and put together to spark children’s imagination and logical thinking skills. The puzzle also comes with a 1:1 scale guidebook to help you solve it.
Pros
- Teaches patience
- Improves hand-eye coordination
- Durable pieces
- Ideal for gifting
Cons
- May be difficult to attach the puzzle pieces
- May require constant adult supervision
"Attracted by cartoon characters printed on this board, my child never gets bored of dismantling and assembling this puzzle. Although she needed some help getting the tight-fitting pieces in place, she could put the rest of the puzzle together by herself. Plus, the picture guide was a helpful add-on."
3. Best For Fine-Motor Skills:Top Bright Toddler Puzzles
The 24-piece colorful jigsaw puzzles for three-year-olds come in a durable tray. Each puzzle set is crafted from high-quality wood, and the pieces are sturdy and solid for repeated use. The puzzle’s size is appropriate for the children’s small hands. They help in the development of your child’s hand-eye coordination and fine motor abilities by letting them grasp and match the puzzles, keeping them engaged for hours.
Pros
- Eco-friendly
- Smoothened edges
- Improves logical reasoning
- Cute and high-quality illustrations
- Hole design board to easily undo the puzzle
Cons
- Children may need help to solve it
- Pieces may fit interchangeably with each other
"My kids love this puzzle's bright colors and fun designs. Although the identical cut of each piece permits pieces to fit where they shouldn't, it has been fun watching them solve this problem as a team. Hence, I have already ordered the 48-piece puzzle set to keep the fun going."
Did you know?4. Best Easy-To-Store:Crocodile Creek Vehicles Jigsaw Floor Puzzle
Vehicles by Crocodile Creek is a 36-piece floor jigsaw puzzle suitable for children aged three and above. The 20×27-inch vehicle puzzle features colorful images to attract children who enjoy automobiles. They are printed on recycled cardboard using soy-based ink. When the puzzle is not in use, you can keep it in a unique storage box.
Pros
- Big pieces to ensure no choking
- Develops fine motor skills
- Enhances problem-solving abilities
- Made with Forest Stewardship Council-certified materials
- Durable storage box
Cons
- Edges might rip off with use
5. Best Durable: Runlycan Puzzles For Kids
Runlycan puzzle set has nine different packs of adorable animal puzzles in various patterns and colors. These are made of 100% natural wood, ensuring durability and sturdiness. You will find 16 puzzles, and every piece is easy to hold. These fantastic puzzle encourage patience, spatial imagination, hand-eye coordination, and logical thinking.
Pros
- Bright and attractive colors
- Portable and easy to store
- Eye-catching representation of animals
- Sturdy and durable
Cons
- Pictures may be small
- Pieces might not be sturdy enough
"As a teacher and mom, I can confirm that these puzzles offer several skill-building opportunities. My toddlers find its bright design quite appealing, and it's a worthwhile choice for engaging them in learning in a fun way."
Quick fact6. Best Sing-Along: Melissa & Doug Old MacDonald’s Farm Sound Puzzle
Melissa & Doug Old MacDonald’s Farm Sound Puzzle is ideal for familiarizing your little ones with farm and farm animals. You will find eight attractive and beautifully-crafted illustrated pieces in the set, including wooden pieces of sheep, dogs, ducks, chickens, horses, pigs, cows, and a farmer. The tried-and-tested wooden toddler puzzle also teaches animal sounds and includes directions and lyrics, allowing children to sing along.
Pros
- Helps develop hand-eye coordination
- Improves problem-solving skills
- Develops auditory processing skills
- Easy-to-grab pieces
Cons
- Puzzle pieces and verses may not match
- Requires bright light to activate the sounds
"My toddler is captivated by this educational puzzle, especially the animal sounds. However, the board occasionally activates the sounds inadvertently, which can be startling. Despite this minor issue, the board has been a delightful tool to teach my little animal names, sounds, and more."
7. Best Musical: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Farm Animal Puzzle
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Farm Animal Puzzle can be the ideal option if you are looking for an electronic puzzle. It comes with five bulky animal shapes for your child to sort and match. Your little ones are rewarded with a unique song, including the animal’s name and its sound, whenever they sort an animal shape into the correct slot. The match and sort play introduces them to different animals and their sounds while playing fun phrases and songs.
Pros
- Teaches colors, shapes, and numbers
- Helps stimulate tactile, visual, and auditory senses
- Improves motor skills and hand-eye coordination
- Enhances problem-solving skills
Cons
- May not be durable enough
- Volume might be low
"This animal puzzle has come in handy to improve my little one’s sorting, grasping, and matching skills. My only issue is that some paper stickers have started to peel on the edges after extensive use. Still, it is a cool toy that has enhanced my son’s hand-eye coordination."
8. Best Environment-Friendly: Toy Life Wooden Puzzles For Toddlers
Made of quality natural wood, the Toy Life wooden toddler puzzles are round and smooth without splintery edges. They are colored with non-toxic paint to ensure your toddler’s safety. The pack includes eight shapes to keep your little one busy. The puzzle encourages cognitive learning and helps develop problem-solving skills, early math skills, and eye-hand coordination.
Pros
- Durable material
- Smooth and thick surface
- Easy to hold
- Environmentally safe
Cons
- Pieces may be small
- Puzzle prints may lift off the puzzle base
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
The 2,021 positive customer reviews on Amazon are a testament to its quality and reliability.
9. Best With Play Modes: LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Wooden Animal Puzzle
LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Wooden Animal Puzzle is made with 100% FSC-certified wood and runs on three AAA batteries. It contains a puzzle board and six animal puzzle pieces that can be matched and sorted by color and shape. Your child can also listen to learning phrases upon placing and removing the pieces. With many positive reviews, this interactive puzzle set helps children learn numbers, animal names, objects, and colors in two languages — Spanish and English.
Pros
- Reinforces learning with puzzle play
- Comes with questions to be asked about animals, colors, and objects
- Improves fine motor skills
- Four play modes
Cons
- Might have audio issues
- Might require frequent battery replacement
"Unlike traditional puzzles, this vibrant one has successfully held my child’s attention due to its interactive features. Despite lacking animal pictures, my son loves to match the puzzle pieces to the cutouts guided by the crip sounds. Plus, the bilingual feature is a nice touch."
10. Best With Storage Box: Galison Wonder & Bloom Puzzle
Galison Wonder & Bloom Puzzle comes with 500 jigsaw puzzle pieces that offer a fun challenge for both children and adults. The set includes an image of the complete puzzle for reference, and the colorful artwork illustrates a plant store. It is made of quality material and measures 20 x 20 inches. In addition, it is printed with non-toxic, no-glare inks for your child’s safety, making it one of the most favorite puzzle of most parents.
Pros
- Well-constructed and sturdy
- Made of quality materials
- Durable
- Comes with a storage box to safely store the puzzle pieces
Cons
- Might be challenging to fit the pieces together
- Poster might be tiny
11. Best Sensory: Infantino My 1st Sensory & Shapes Puzzle Set
Infantino My 1st Sensory & Shapes Puzzle Set offers multiple playing opportunities for toddlers. You can keep them hooked in activities such as assembling and matching shapes, colors, words, and patterns. In addition, the fantastic puzzle set helps your child learn about fruits and their shapes. The pieces are thoughtfully sized, making it easy for children to hold. Overall, this set helps develop children’s problem-solving and fine motor skills.
Pros
- Eight sensory-engaging shapes
- Makes a great gift
- Double-sided for better learning opportunities
- Improves tactile sense
Cons
- May not be sturdy enough
- May not be easy to store the pieces
"My daughter has just started exploring matching and stacking, so this puzzle has been an instant hit with her. The vibrant colors and images allowed frustration-free assembly, and the unique design has also helped her work on her motor skills. Hence, it gets my approval."
12. Best Easy-To-Hold:Blue’s Clues & You! Talking Build-A-Blue 3D Puzzle
Blue’s Clues interactive nine-piece puzzle has the children’s favorite characters, Blue, Shovel, and more. This time-tested, easy-to-hold puzzle includes finding clues to keep the child’s mind alert at all times. The child can press the button and listen to the phrases from the show once the fun puzzle is complete. It requires three batteries.
Pros
- Durable
- Interactive
- Improves auditory response
- Suitable for skill-building
- Comes with an easel stand for displaying finished puzzle
- Smooth and glossy texture
Cons
- Small pieces may require adult supervision
- Plastic-based
"I've found this charming puzzle to be a good choice for my toddlers. It's especially ideal for developing their hand-eye coordination. I also use it as a colorful room decoration."
13. Best Magnetic: B. toys by Battat Magnetic Alphabetic Puzzle Plank
This magnetic alphabet puzzle board features a chalkboard on one side and alphabet puzzle magnets on the other. The illustrations and bright colors keep the little ones engaged. The educational puzzle is made of high-quality, durable natural wood and is easy to grasp. Trusted by parents, it is painted with water-based varnishes and soy-based inks, ensuring safe play for children.
Pros
- Magnetic layer to keep tiles in place
- Develops eye-hand coordination
- Sparks imagination and creativity
- Durable and sturdy
Cons
- May be thinner than expected
- Paint might chip
"I got this alphabet puzzle and chalkboard set knowing it is engaging and educational. It has been a hit with my children, and they seem to love the illustrations. I just wish they were more travel-friendly."
14. Best Fun Themes: Little Tikes Baby Bum Musical Wooden Puzzle
Little Tikes Baby Bum Musical Wooden Puzzle encourages active and imaginative play. The quality-tested wooden puzzle comes with two fun themes–animals and vehicles. Each fun puzzle has up to five pieces that can be removed and put together effortlessly. Upon placing the characters correctly, the puzzle plays fun music and sounds, which gets those small bodies moving and sparks curiosity. This set of age-appropriate puzzles allows your child to indulge in early learning activities and its difficulty level is easy.
Pros
- Teaches children about vehicles and animals
- Made of 100% natural wood
- Durable
- Improves auditory senses and hand-eye coordination
Cons
- Does not include batteries
- Battery might drain quickly
"The sounds were the first thing to attract my baby to this puzzle. While initially, she would activate the sounds accidentally, she has now grasped the concept of cause and effect and only removes the cow piece as it makes her favorite moo sound. On the whole, it has been an excellent educational tool for her."
15. Best For Building Math Skills: hand2mind Sensory Leaves Math Activity And Puzzle Set
The hand2mind Sensory Leaves Math Activity Set comes with ten double-sided activity cards, 36 leaf-shaped counters, and a well-illustrated guide. It is an excellent set for indulging your little ones in math activities. In addition, the recycled and certified plastic set contains six kinds of tactile leaves in six colors and three sizes to help develop early math skills.
Pros
- Made of environmentally-friendly material
- Teacher-developed
- Encourages critical thinking
- Ideal for gifting
Cons
- Contains small parts that may pose a choking hazard
- May not be easy to store
"My son has been grasping basic concepts from sorting to counting as he plays with this colorful toy. Although not the most durable, it has successfully nurtured my child's math skills and helped him develop an appreciation for nature’s diversity. Plus, the eco-friendly build is much appreciated."
How To Choose The Right Puzzles For Three-Year-Olds?
Here are some important points to consider when choosing the right jigsaw puzzles for three-year-olds.
- Types of puzzles: There are mainly two kinds of puzzles available, inset and jigsaw. While jigsaw puzzles are usually recommended for older children, inset puzzles have big, thick parts that do not interlock like jigsaw puzzles. They are typically constructed of wood or foam.
- Number of pieces: Younger children require puzzles with fewer parts such as one-piece puzzles that are easier to put together. They can manage increasing complexity with additional parts as they get older.
- Theme: Choose puzzles with exciting themes to motivate children to finish the puzzle. It may even motivate your child to work on a puzzle that can be more challenging than usual. However, ensure that the theme you pick is suitable for your kids’ age.
- Size: Choose puzzles with large, thick parts that are easy for young hands to grasp and put together and protect children from choking on the piece.
- Material: Choose puzzles made from wood, cardboard, or foam, with smooth edges, for safety, durability, and long-lasting performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are Montessori puzzles?
Montessori puzzles are puzzles that encourage hands-on learning and independence in children and help improve their problem-solving, fine motor, hand-eye coordination, creative, and cognitive skills.
2. Can a three-year-old solve puzzles?
Yes, a three-year-old can solve puzzles that are easy to play and have big pieces to prevent choking hazards.
3. How do I teach my three-year-old to do puzzles?
Three-year-olds often tend to follow their parents’ actions, so start with a simple puzzle with colorful blocks and play with them by spending quality time together. Soon they will try to imitate your actions, and in no time, they will be able to solve the puzzle.
Why Trust MomJunction?
Priti Bose is our trusted product reviewer for kids’ toys and games. She ensures in-depth market research and review before compiling interesting and top-quality products for children. She brought you an extensive collection of the best puzzles to buy for a three-year old. These brain development puzzles help improve creativity and attentiveness in children and engage them in a fun and engaging game time. Priti also shared a buying guide to help you choose the right puzzle for your child.
The Bottom Line
If your 3-year-old spends excessive time watching videos, shifting their focus to an interesting set of puzzles can help. These development puzzles offer added advantages, such as promoting motor skills, problem-solving skills, and hand-eye coordination. For instance, the CozyBomB Wooden Number Puzzle is ideal for improving coordination, the Toddlers Noah’s-Ark Wooden Animal Puzzles from iPlay, iLearn for enhancing logical reasoning, and the Top Bright Toddler Puzzles can help with problem-solving skills. Since 3-year-olds are too young to completely grasp the concept of puzzles, you can invest in puzzles that are easier to use or have lower difficulty levels to make them suitable for young ones. Furthermore, larger and thicker puzzle pieces make it convenient for the child to play with the set and can help improve their fine motor skills.
Infographic: Things To Remember When Buying Puzzles For 3-Years-Olds
Puzzles can help three-year-olds develop their fine motor skills, problem-solving skills, and spatial awareness. When shopping for puzzles for your three-year-old, there are a few key points to consider. You must buy one that supports their handling and interest to keep them engaged for a long time. So explore the tips below to find the perfect puzzle. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
References
- Five Things Children Gain from Puzzle Play
https://illinoisearlylearning.org/blogs/growing/puzzle-play/
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