3 Reasons You Should Do Puzzles With Your Kids

Puzzles are a simple, fun activity that shouldn’t be overlooked at home. They help build and maintain mental skills for both adults and children. Here are three reasons you should start doing puzzles with your kids: 

Exercise Your Brain 

This goes for both kids and adults. Doing puzzles uses both sides of your brain. The logical and the creative sides work together to work out which pieces go where. For adults, this helps improve and maintain mental speed and memory function.^2&3 For kids, this helps them learn new skills and explore new topics. 

Problem Solving 

Puzzles present a simple end goal: put the pieces together to form the picture on the box. The difficulty of completing that task all depends on the type of puzzle you get, whether the pieces are big or small, how many pieces there are, and what kind of image makes up the puzzle. 

When working with children on a puzzle, it teaches them important skills about how to problem solve. They also learn that there are various ways to solve the same problem: you can start by putting the edges together or you can put all the pieces that are the same color together. They can also learn how to handle a situation in which they don’t get something right, such as when a piece doesn’t fit where they thought it would.⁴

Help with School

Focusing on a task like a puzzle builds up a child’s concentration. This is important for all kinds of tasks, especially when they’re in school and need to focus on the subject at hand. Plus, if you get a puzzle that also teaches your child about a new subject, it builds their knowledge as well as their vocabulary as they learn something new.⁴

Our I Am Lil' Polar Bear puzzle is the perfect way to start building these skills, both for yourself and your child. It contains 100 large pieces and is perfect for ages 5+. When finished, it measures 30”x25”. This puzzle contains both a poster for reference and an educational insert with fun facts! Get yours here.