Puzzles for 4 Year Olds
I really enjoy sitting down with my 4 year old son and doing puzzles. Its nice to have a selection of a few to keep it varied and more interesting. Puzzles have many educational benefits including honing fine motor skills, problem solving skills, team working, social and communication skills if doing them with other children or adults or learning to work on your own if doing them individually. When a puzzle is completed it can help raise self esteem especially if it's a bit of a challenge.
4 year olds who are beginners could start with puzzles with about 12 to 24 pieces (I would say around 24 pieces is about the average size for a 4 year old). But there's nothing to stop them working up to 35, 48 and even 60 piece puzzles. Giant floor puzzles are good fun too.
Read on for great suggestions of jigsaw puzzles for 4 year olds (girls and boys).
4 year olds who are beginners could start with puzzles with about 12 to 24 pieces (I would say around 24 pieces is about the average size for a 4 year old). But there's nothing to stop them working up to 35, 48 and even 60 piece puzzles. Giant floor puzzles are good fun too.
Read on for great suggestions of jigsaw puzzles for 4 year olds (girls and boys).
Please note as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This means we may get a small commission for purchases made through Amazon links in this article.*
Ravesburger Pack of 4 Puzzles (12, 16, 20 and 24 Pieces)
Ravensburger make packs of 4 puzzles with different pieces. We have a Disney planes pack of 4 jigsaw puzzles that my 4 year old son loves. Itis a great starter pack for 4 year old who haven’t completed many puzzles before. My son loves to do all the different sizes and we work on them together.
There are lots of different themed packs of 4 puzzles including Frozen, Disney cars and the minions puzzles featured. |
Floor Puzzles - 24 pieces
Quite a lot of 24 piece puzzle are also floor puzzles meaning the puzzles are slightly bigger and can be laid out and done on the floor. I love doing floor puzzles with my boys as they are great to do together. They are also very visual once completed and the pieces are bigger so they are easier for little hands to manipulate and put together.
|
Orchard Toys Puzzles - 25 Pieces
Orchard toys are one of my favourite makers of jigsaw puzzles and they have a nice range of 25 piece puzzles, some of which are featured below. Their jigsaws are made from good quality and durable, are made of recycled board and are wipe clean too. I really like their colourful designs which appeal to preschoolers too.
The jungle puzzle opposite is great for pointing out the different animals and maybe talking about where they live and where you might see them in this country. |
In fact there's lots of talking points regarding the animals in the pictures such as what do they eat, and how do they move? The other thing I like about the jungle puzzle is the contrasting colours and very different pieces makes the puzzle a little easier for 4 year olds to do on their own.
30 to 35 Piece Puzzle
The next step up could be a 35 piece puzzle. There are lots of different designs you can get of puzzles this size. I wouldn't buy it as a first puzzle for a 4 year old as it might be a little too challenging at first and you don't want to put them off
48 Piece Puzzle
It's also a good option for one or more people to do together. Melissa and Doug are very popular makers of jigsaw puzzle in the US and they have some colourful and attractive designs,
50 and 60 Piece Jigsaws
For four year olds who are good at jigsaws there are some great 50 and 60 piece puzzles.
My tip would be to keep their interest choose them with a theme from a TV or movie that they like or something that they are interested in such as pirates or dinosaurs. KIds are more likely to do puzzles with pictures of characters and other things that interest them. |
You can also get giant floor puzzles with 50 or 60 pieces too.
I have featured the Thomas puzzle as it has a unique feature that it will glow in the dark too.
I have featured the Thomas puzzle as it has a unique feature that it will glow in the dark too.
Why Are Jigsaw Puzzles Beneficial To Kids?
Jigsaw puzzles are great for young children to do for many reasons. Here are just a few of them:
Good for fine motor skills - it takes a bit of skill to fit pieces together at times. I know my own 4 year old struggles sometimes. So doing puzzles helps them develop these fine motor skills in their fingers as well as good hand and eye co-ordination.
Social skills - if 4 yearolds do puzzles with other family members or friends, it’s a great introduction to teamwork. It will help them to see working together can be beneficial and give them an opportunity to practice taking turns to put in a puzzle piece.
Learn new words - Doing a wide range of puzzles will introduce young children to lots of different pictures which will in turn have lots of different words to describe them. You can talk about the pictures in general and by giving names to parts of the puzzle as you complete them will help expand vocabulary.
Be introduced to new concepts - puzzles can give kids the opportunity to discuss the pictures and learn about new concepts in them. So for example, in the jigsaw of the animals above, there is lots of opportunities to discuss the animals, what they’re called, where they live, what they eat and lots more.
Good for fine motor skills - it takes a bit of skill to fit pieces together at times. I know my own 4 year old struggles sometimes. So doing puzzles helps them develop these fine motor skills in their fingers as well as good hand and eye co-ordination.
Social skills - if 4 yearolds do puzzles with other family members or friends, it’s a great introduction to teamwork. It will help them to see working together can be beneficial and give them an opportunity to practice taking turns to put in a puzzle piece.
Learn new words - Doing a wide range of puzzles will introduce young children to lots of different pictures which will in turn have lots of different words to describe them. You can talk about the pictures in general and by giving names to parts of the puzzle as you complete them will help expand vocabulary.
Be introduced to new concepts - puzzles can give kids the opportunity to discuss the pictures and learn about new concepts in them. So for example, in the jigsaw of the animals above, there is lots of opportunities to discuss the animals, what they’re called, where they live, what they eat and lots more.