You may also look for puzzles at yard sales, thrift shops, and lending toy libraries. Children who are developing the ability to use scissors can cut pictures from magazines to create their own puzzles. Simply mount the pictures on cardboard and cut into large pieces. Make sure puzzles are suited for each child's age and abilities. Two year olds, for example, will enjoy putting in pieces and taking them back out just as much as they will enjoy fitting them into the right spot.
Toddlers enjoy three or four-piece wooden puzzles.
As they grow and learn to rotate pieces to match holes and find pieces that fit, they can handle increasingly complex puzzles. They can handle 12 to 18-piece puzzles. They move from the pleasure of the activity to mastering the task. All family members may gather around the table top to help children put the pieces together. Puzzles should be well-made and appealing to the child.