Toys your kids will love


Game for Kids to Play

Last night, I took down an old favorite, thepatience,  and  focus  required.
ABC Floor Puzzle from Mudpuppy Press, to play
with my 22-month-old. The puzzle is made upAge 5-10: 100 piece puzzles are usually just
of 24 big 8" square pieces that fit easilyright  for  ages  5-10.
together and are easily manouverable by a
little tyke. The box says 3+, but he enjoyedAge  8-11:  200  piece  puzzles.
seeing the picture come together and was
pretty darn happy when he could fit one pieceAge 10-12: 300+ piece puzzles will match the
to another. And I found it sufficientlyskill  level  of  10-12  year  olds.
stimulating to enjoy spending seven or eight
minutes down on the floor with it. Check outMy daughter (age 6) and I often put together
Mudpuppy's other puzzles, too - they are wella 40 piece puzzle before bedtime. It's quick,
made and designed, and they come in boxesfun, and gives us a chance to wind down
that  make  storage  easy.before  the  pre-bed  routine.
There is something zen about putting a puzzleRecently, we also tried the highly
together. It has no real productive purposerecommended Global Puzzle. With 600 pieces
and is therefore very effective at drivingand dimensions measuring three feet wide and
Type A family members up the wall, though18 inches tall, it's a big, big puzzle. But
I've seen obsessive-compulsives unable toit's also a fun learning tool. Except for the
focus on anything else until every last pieceoceans, most of the puzzle is made of pieces
was put in the puzzle. Me, I like it becausein the shape of the countries they represent.
I think it focuses the brain on colors andThe puzzle is somewhat fragile that way,
shapes and their inter-relationship. Withsince most countries do not naturally
Brain Awareness Week coming up, it's a goodinterlock with their neighbors. Some of the
time to think of incorporating puzzles topieces are very small, though very tiny
stimulate neural pathway development (in yourcountries and US states are conglomerated
child) and maintenance (for you, old codger).into pieces that don't require a pair of
tweezers to manipulate. My daughter, still at
A good puzzle is a great way to spend timesix, was a bit young to do more than fit
with your kids. Here's a rough guide fortogether big pieces of land in the same color
puzzle  size,  though kids will vary greatly:(Antartica), but her grandmother and I spent
two days trying to figure out where to put
Ages 1-3: Very simple block puzzles will helpCameroon  and  Madagascar.
the child understand relationships between
colors  and  shape.For a slightly older child (the box says nine
years, but could go younger depending on the
Age 2-4: 20-35 piece traditional jigsawchild), and for most American adults, this
puzzles  are  appropriate.puzzle is a great exercise in humility as you
realize you can't even get Canada or Latin
Ages 4-7: 60 piece traditional jigsaw puzzlesAmerica in the right order. It's also sold by
are perfect for most 5 year olds. Keep inthe National Geographic on-line store. Highly
mind not only the size but the time,recommended.



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