How to encourage puzzle play

As an educator i’m well aware of the large amount of skills your child will develop through building puzzles.

But, my experience with a majority of children also shows that many children do not enjoy puzzle play.

So how do you encourage your child to play with his puzzles?

Here are a few easy tips to encourage puzzle play.

1. Age and ability appropriate

When chosing a puzzle make sure that the puzzles are both age and ability appropriate.

The puzzle shouldn’t be so easy that your child is bored by it, nor be too challenging as this could frustrate them into giving up.

Some children are able to build puzzles way beyond the age ability on the box and others may need a younger ability puzzle to start off and build their confidence.

2. Bright and fun

Bright colours, fun pictures and colorful shapes can help engage younger children and hold their attention for a longer period of time.

3. Areas of interest

Try to find puzzles that appeal to your child’s interests. Is your little one an airplane fanatic? Obsessed with princesses or dinosaurs? Find puzzles that incorporate those things!

4. Work together

Work with your child on a more difficult puzzle. While this still shouldn’t be too hard to put together, the difficulty level can be slightly increased if you work on completing a puzzle together.

5. A little craft work

Have your child create their own puzzle. There some very creative ideas on Pintrest or you could have your child colour in a picture, glue it to card and cut it into a puzzle.

6. Have fun

Never force your child to complete a puzzle or activity that they do not want to. If puzzle building becomes a chore your child won’t want to play.

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