Shape Their Play With The Best Puzzles for 2-Year-Olds

There’s SO much development happening at age two, as toddlers become more sociable, playful and independent, says Sally Macaluso, Special Education Preschool Teacher and Educational Blogger at Tenderhearted Teacher . “Their vocabularies are growing. They talk more and may use short sentences. They also want to do things on their own, especially when it comes to self-care skills.” They’re busy figuring out the world and that includes puzzles too.

In fact, one of the biggest areas of growth for two-year-olds is fine motor skills, or the ability to use the muscles in the hands and wrists. “Activities, like puzzles, that allow toddlers to manipulate small objects help promote fine motor development, which is necessary for all sorts of important tasks in toddlerhood,” she says. “For example, children who engage in fine motor play tend to have better pencil grasp and hand-eye coordination, allowing them to have an easier time feeding themselves, dressing and undressing, toileting, writing, and cutting with scissors” – all important milestones, in their own right, of toddler development.

“Puzzle play is great for encouraging skills like problem-solving, spatial awareness, visual perception, and concentration, too,” says Macaluso. Littles can start learning their ABCs and 123s, recognizing shapes and colors, identifying animal sounds and so much more, simply through play.

While you should always peep the suggested age recommendation, kids puzzles with a small number of large, chunky pieces are the perfect place to start. “You want products that are durable and easy to grab, handle, and manipulate. You also want to make sure they don’t have tiny parts or pieces that can pose a choking risk,” warns Macaluso. Some of her favorite puzzles for 2-year-olds are those that feature colors, shapes, letters, numbers, animals, or vehicles.

Whatever your kid is into–from wood(land) animal puzzles to Montessori must-haves–we’ve rounded up the best of the best on Maisonette you can shop now.

The Best Wooden Puzzles

● Bigjigs Toys Woodland Chunky Puzzle, $17.60

Explore five furry WOODland animals, including a chunky squirrel, hedgehog, bear, bunny and deer. This forest-friendly puzzle is made from ethically harvested wood from 100% FSC® Certified forests. Each piece is coated in non-toxic, kid-friendly paint so you won’t panic when they inevitably put a piece in their mouth. Because, you know, toddlers.

● Bigjigs Toys Sound Puzzle - Transport, $31

This adorable, 5-piece wooden transport puzzle puts toddlers in the driver’s seat as they work to place each vehicle in the correct slot all by themselves. Make the right move, and they’ll hear a honk, beep or choo-choo! “It’s a fun way to teach different types of transportation,” says Macaluso. “It also adds another layer of engagement and entertainment for little ones because it features sound effects.”

● Tender Leaf Toys Citrus Fractions, $24.99

One of the absolute best wooden puzzles for 2-year-olds, hands down! Put on their chef hat, and let them pretend to slice and dice these five fruits into perfectly-portioned (puzzle) pieces. They can serve a piece to mom, pretend to eat one themselves, and then when they’re all finished, they can put the fruits back together again. Great for pretend play, problem-solving, fine motor development and eventually teaching fractions as they age.

The Best Montessori Puzzles

● Jack Rabbit Creations Magical Rainbow Puzzle, $32

ROYGBIV, baby! Littles will be over the rainbow with this magical, non-toxic and heirloom-quality wood puzzle that helps them learn their colors in the correct order. So put it together, take it apart or use the different arches as bridges for cars – or, you know, whatever else their imagination can dream up. Each arch is labeled with its corresponding color.

● Bigjigs Toys Shape Matching Board, $31.50

A classic Montessori-style puzzle, this simple wooden shapes matching board encourages self-correction. If the piece doesn’t fit, toddlers will try, try again until they’ve placed each shape in the right slot. Talk about the names of each shape as you go. Bonus: the chunky knobs are great for helping develop your toddler’s pincer grasp!

● Wee Gallery Mix + Match Animal Tiles, $43

The purr-fect puzzle for 2-year-olds. As they’re beginning to engage in more pretend play, toddlers can mix and match the animal tiles (what does the fox say!?) to piece together pandas, owls, cats and more in adorable outfits of their own choosing. It comes with 18 solid wood pieces in kid-safe finishes and a handy box for storing everything or packing up for park outings.

The Best Educational Puzzles

● Chunky Alphabet Puzzle, $28.90

Besides being pretty to look at, “this puzzle is an excellent tool for practicing alphabet knowledge as well as color recognition,” points out Macaluso. The pieces are big and chunky, making them super simple for toddlers to pick up and place in the matching letter and color spot. Then, once they’re older, they can use the pieces to work on spelling too.

● Bigjigs Toys Inset Puzzle Numbers, $17.30

A puzzle you can count on to teach them their numbers, and well, counting! Toddlers will be drawn to the bright colors and cute patterns. Generously-sized pieces also allow them to lift and grasp with ease, helping develop dexterity. Hidden under each number you’ll find the correct amount of animals or vehicles for practicing counting.

● Bigjigs Toys Lifecycle Layer Puzzle - Butterfly, $12

It’s the circle of life! More than just a puzzle, this realistic-looking layered 4-piece jigsaw doubles as a natural learning tool for littles. As tiny hands pull away each piece, a new butterfly life cycle stage is revealed. Watch with wonder as the caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly right before their eyes–so cool! Bigjigs puzzles are made from quality and ethically-sourced wood.

The Best Progressive Puzzle Sets

Floss & Rock Space First Puzzles, $13

Your little astronaut will have a blast putting together these four space-themed puzzles for 2-year-olds. As toddlers do, they’ll gravitate toward the fab, foiled elements and cool gloss finish of each progressively more challenging puzzle. With a “to and from” tag, this set also makes for an out-of-this-world gift.

Scratch Starter Jungle Puzzle, $21

Toucan do it! This roar-some starter set is essentially five puzzles for the price of one. Toddlers can start with the simple 3-piece puzzle and then work their way up to eventually mastering the toughest: an 8-piece tiger.

Elizabeth Mitchell Kadar is a seasoned freelance fashion, beauty and lifestyle writer and also a mom of three littles living in sunny California. She's written for Brides, YouBeauty, She Knows, The Fashion Spot and many more.