17 Best Toddler Puzzles You NEED [Wooden, Jigsaw, Montessori + More!]

It's no secret, puzzles are fantastic for early childhood development. But finding the best toddler puzzles for fine motor skills and educational purposes can feel daunting. Discover the best toddler and baby puzzles for teaching the alphabet, shapes, anatomy, and more. Plus of course, some fun Disney themed and wooden jigsaw puzzles any toddler will love!

Puzzles for toddlers are a simple, yet very powerful toy that have proven to engage and encourage brain and physical development in young children for generations. 

Best Starter Puzzles For Toddlers + Babies: Dreampark Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

If you're looking for a wooden jigsaw puzzles for toddlers on the younger side, this set of six is a best seller on Amazon for a reason!

These puzzles are fairly small, just larger than the size of an adult palm, which make them great for tossing in a diaper bag or keeping a toddler entertained while waiting when out.

Best Montessori Shape Puzzle: Elite Montessori Single/Multiple Shape Puzzles

Shape puzzles are fantastic early learning toys and we LOVE this set from Elite Montessori. It comes with two puzzles, one teaching three common basic shapes, the other teaching spatial relations and figure-ground concepts.

Best Educational Toddler Puzzle Starter Set: Melissa & Doug Disney Wooden Peg Puzzles Set: Letters, Numbers, and Shapes and Colors

If you're looking for a set of toddler learning puzzles complete with letters, numbers, shapes, and colors, look no further than Melissa & Doug's Disney Peg Puzzles! It's one of the best rated toddler puzzle packs out there.

Then as your child moves into the toddler years, the puzzles grow with your child, teaching the alphabet, number shapes, colors, and more.

If you prefer to skip the disney theme, you can get more of a classic puzzle bundle with letters, numbers, and colors here.

Best Toddler Peg Puzzle: Rolimate Wooden Puzzle Montessori Developmental Sorting Stacking Toy for Toddlers Babies Kids

At some point around 2 years old, your toddler will love exploring new shapes and puzzles that go beyond the pincer grasp. This wooden toddler puzzle is montessori aligned.

This puzzle comes in multiple sizes and styles. If introducing to younger toddlers and they are struggling, we suggest just giving them the pieces for one of the peg puzzles at first. Once they learn that shape, add in a second, and so on.

Best 2 Piece Puzzle: Match It! Animal Family Puzzle Game

The Learning Journey is by far one of my favorite puzzle brands for toddlers and preschoolers. Their 2 piece puzzle set comes with 30 puzzles, and each one is designed to be self correcting for independent play. Meaning your toddler can't put the duckling with an elephant.

When giving a puzzle like this to your toddler, we suggest only giving them one or two puzzles at a time to start instead of all the puzzles pieces. Personally, I keep 3-4 of these in a box/bag in our diaper bag or car for travel or waiting at appointments. While they suggest introducing at 3 years old, I found my toddler enjoyed two piece puzzles like this as early as 18 months.

Best 3 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle: The Learning Journey: Match It! – Head to Tail – Self-Correcting Puzzle

Once your child has mastered the two piece puzzle, they're ready for their next jigsaw puzzle! We suggest a three piece puzzle set like this one which comes with 20 self correcting puzzles!

This 3 piece puzzle set teaches kids about sorting colors, edges, and all those other little concepts we need to master before larger jigsaw puzzles. Again, these are made from a durable cardboard and great for travel. I keep a set of 3-5 of them in a bag in our car for quick access in waiting rooms.

And just like the 2 piece puzzle set, we suggest only giving 1-3 puzzles to start, not the full pack of 20.

Best Body Parts Puzzle: Melissa & Doug Magnetic Human Body Anatomy Puzzle

I said this in Tips For Choosing Books For Infants + Toddlers, but teaching our kids anatomically correct body parts is CRITICAL in teaching body safety and this conversation should begin from the beginning. Which is why I LOVE this anatomically correct magnetic human body puzzle from Melissa & Doug.

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Best STEM Puzzle: Learn With Mochi

If you're looking for a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) puzzle, look no further than Learn With Mochi.

But the Robotics Kit actually uses the coding blocks in a screen free programming board to have the Mochi Bear and Rover act out the book on the map.

Best Preschool Spelling Puzzle: Melissa & Doug See & Spell Wooden Puzzle

Around 2 and a half years old, your toddler will enter the montessori sensitive period for letter shapes and sounds and this Melissa & Doug See & Spell Wooden Puzzle can be a great addition to any playroom or montessori at home environment.

FYI: Melissa & Doug toys that come in a wooden box like this do not typically come with lids

Best Tangram Toddler Puzzle: SpriteGru Wooden Montessori Puzzle

While this 300 piece learning toy calls itself montessori, it's not really Montessori (no control for error), but we still love it and it wins best tangram toddler puzzle set for toddlers!

My daughter got a similar tangram puzzle in her Lovevery The Helper play kit at 2 years old and it's been one of her favorite puzzles!

Best Popsicle Stick Jigsaw Puzzle: Mudpuppy Puzzle Sticks

Stick puzzles are a great to have in your puzzle closet to switch things up! They offer another opportunity for deeper concentration on putting together the picture properly, not relying on self correcting pieces.

Best Music Puzzle: Melissa & Doug Musical Instruments Sound Puzzle

It's no secret classic music is fantastic for baby and toddler's brain development which is why we wanted to include this musical puzzle pick from Melissa & Doug that plays real classical musical instrument sounds.

Best Floor Puzzle For Toddlers: Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle

While we think all puzzles are floor puzzles for toddlers (seriously, how many hours do you think they spend on the floor a day?!) – if you are looking for a traditional floor puzzle, we LOVE the bigger pieces and educational aspect of this solar system floor puzzle!

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Best Disney Toddler Puzzle: Ravensburger Disney Moana Born To Voyage 49 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Kids

Ravensburger is best known for their Disney puzzles I'd say! We love this Moana Ravensburger Disney puzzle because it comes with not one, but THREE puzzles!

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Best Personalized Toddler Puzzle: Last Piece Of The Puzzle + BloomOwl (TIED)

If you're looking for a personalized wooden puzzle we have two great options depending on your desired style or budget!

We love this simple personalized name puzzle! It's affordable and super high quality.

If you prefer something a bit more stylized or showing off the full name, then this pick is the best option! It includes two rows of the name, plus two shaped puzzle pieces – all fully customizable down to the color palette!

Best Toddler Puzzle Games: Homer Toddler Puzzles App + Educational Games

Looking for a good toddler puzzles app with educational games? Homer is by far my toddler's favorite app!

It's designed for 2 year olds up to 6 years old (toddler through preschool years) and works a wide variety of subjects from reading, math, thinking skills, pretend play and more.

While there are some “traditional” puzzles in the app, what I love about it is that it teaches the concepts around puzzles/problem solving. For instance, spatial language like over, above, and next to in some of the games comes in handy when doing a larger jigsaw puzzle.

It also works on shape sorting and colors, other skills you'll need in traditional puzzles. There are matching card games, one step instructional tasks, and connections between images and words or objects and sou which are all critical thinking skills used when problem solving or working on a puzzle.

Best Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles For Toddlers: Dinosaur Alphabet Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle

If you're looking for a traditional jigsaw puzzle, that's more durable than cardboard pieces for your toddler, this is a great option! It comes in 3 styles and can even be stood upright once completed for a 3D feel!

How To Choose The Best Puzzles For Toddlers

Puzzles are easily one of the most gifted items to toddlers and there are so many on the market! When it comes to choosing the best puzzles for toddlers we suggest considering:

• – Skill it works on (fine motor skill, spelling, problem solving, spacial relationships, shapes, colors, etc.)
• – Size of pieces and toddler's age: no choking hazards!
• – Difficulty: how hard are the pieces to get in and out?
• – Longevity: Is this something your toddler will use for a few months or something they'll want to do over the next year or two?
• – Multipurpose: Can you build educational lessons around it? For instance instead of just showing a picture of a circle, a montessori circle puzzle can bring the concept to life. Or some wooden puzzle pieces can be repurposed into other activities for counting, spelling, or learning animals.
• Durability/easy to clean: Chances are, you'll want to wipe your toddlers puzzles clean. Look for puzzles that are durable and can hold up to the wear and tear of a toddler.

FAQs About Toddler Puzzles

What are the benefits of puzzles for toddlers?

Toddlers and puzzles benefits are endless! Puzzles encourage independent play, concentration, and problem skills at minimum. They also help refine fine motor skills and gross motor skills depending on the puzzle.

Puzzles can also bring a hands on approach to learning. Whether you're teaching your child about the solar system, dinosaurs, letters, numbers, or shapes, they are a great learning opportunity.

How to teach toddler puzzles:

Dr. Maria Montessori, one of the pioneering early childhood education experts, believed in showing children how to use materials, such as puzzles, versus telling them.

In other words: do the puzzle yourself, in front of your toddler. You don't need to say a word, or you can narrate what you're doing to yourself. Wait for the toddler to take an interest and ask questions or follow your lead before doing anymore.

How to get toddler to play with puzzles:

Instead of placing a completed puzzle on your toddler's playshelf, consider a basket with the pieces and the puzzle frame empty. This encourages the child to complete it rather than deconstruct it only to put it back together.

It's also helpful to start small and slow. Instead of giving them access to all 20 puzzles that come in a set, start with just one if it's their first of that style, then give them two so they can match the pieces correctly, and continue adding from there.

How to store toddler puzzles:

You can purchase a puzzle rack like this one to store toddler puzzles. However over time many parents find it easiest to store puzzles in labeled bags.

What puzzles are good for 2 year old?

Wooden puzzles teaching letter shapes and numbers are great as it aligns with the montessori sensitive period. Wooden tangram puzzles and peg puzzles are other great options as they've mastered their pincer grasp and are probably ready for some more interesting problems to solve.

Around 2 years old, you can also introduce simple 2 piece and 3 piece jigsaw puzzles.

Of course, finding puzzles with animals or themes your child is interested in will ultimately be one of the best things you can do, as all puzzles encourage concentration, focus, and independent play.

What kind of puzzles are good for 3 year olds?

More complex jigsaw puzzles or tangram puzzles are a great options for 3 year olds.

At this stage, I'd suggest looking through the various “best” categories on this list, and simply filling in any skill gaps that might be missing from your puzzle collection.

For instance, stick puzzles provide a unique, and often overlooked, challenge in relying on the picture to sequence the puzzle appropriately, not the fit of the pieces.

No matter which puzzle you choose, just know that puzzles are good for 3 year olds!

Why are wooden puzzles good for toddlers?

Wooden puzzles pieces provide more sensory input, bring certain shapes to life in a more concrete way than a printed puzzle on cardboard, and are generally less toxic than plastic puzzles.

Dr. Maria Montessori believed wooden toys provided a sensory experience for babies and toddlers that was unrivaled.

Final Thoughts…

Puzzles have withstood the test of time for good reason. They have so many uses and benefits for toddler and early childhood development. While there are a lot of puzzles out there, it's important to select one's that work different skills.

Our favorite toddler jigsaw puzzles are Match It! 2 Piece Animal Puzzle Set and Head to Tail – Self-Correcting 3 piece Puzzle as they work fine motor skills, are portable and montessori aligned, and can be repurposed to other activities as well. But you can't go wrong with any on this list in our opinion!