Best Puzzles for 1 Year Olds
and Toddlers!

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It isn't easy finding suitable puzzles for 1 year olds and toddlers! I have had lots of parents writing to me to ask which puzzles are best for this age group, so I have rounded up a variety of resources that are very similar to the ones I used with my own toddlers years ago.

Remember, each child develops at his or her own pace, so be guided by your child's maturity.

1 and 2 year olds have a very short attention span, and are driven by exploring their environment. Let these puzzles form part of their daily environment.

Toddlers are naturally drawn to whatever their caregiver is doing, so use that to your advantage. If you play with the puzzle yourself on the floor, your toddler will probably want to join in, so make a game of putting the pieces together!

best puzzles for 1 year olds and toddlers

This page contains affiliate links (#Ad) - I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through these links, which helps support this site. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything!

One Piece Puzzles for 1 Year Olds

One piece puzzles require the placing of a single piece to make a picture complete.

  • Banana Panda make truly lovely baby puzzles#Ad. All your baby has to do it put a circle into the puzzle to complete the picture!
  • You can also get beautiful wooden Montessori-style single shape puzzles#Ad, which are perfect first puzzles for babies. Look out for them in thrift shops or see if you can borrow from a friend!

Once your child masters putting a single shape into a hole, then try shape sorters#Ad and jumbo peg puzzles#Ad. If your child is overwhelmed by all the shapes available, just do one or two shapes at a time.

toddler using shape sorterToddlers love shape sorters

A personalized wooden name puzzle is a really lovely gift idea - toddlers get a lot of joy from putting their name together in a peg-puzzle, and often play with it well into their childhood!

You can order these directly from Crawoo #Ad, who ship worldwide!

name puzzle for toddlerView these puzzles on Crawoo!

You may find these baby puzzles and other similar resources, at rummage sales and local baby stores.

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Two Piece Puzzles

Two-piece puzzles will introduce toddlers to the concept of putting a picture together. Toddlers get soooooo much satisfaction out of doing this over and over! Start by giving just one puzzle at a time.

Preschoolers who can't do puzzles can also benefit from going back to these basic puzzles and working on their skills.

two piece puzzles for babies and toddlersTwo piece puzzles for babies and toddlers

I've looked up a few on Amazon that are similar to the ones I used with my own kids. The beauty of these sets of puzzles for 1 year olds, is that there are a number of different two-piece puzzles in each box, so your toddler will get lots and lots of practice at completing pictures.

ToyKraft have a beautiful range of shaped two piece puzzles for 1 year olds. View the puzzles in their store on Amazon. #Ad

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Four Piece Puzzles

OK, I really don't think four piece puzzles are going to work for young toddlers! But an advanced 2 year old will probably be wanting to try some!

This is a pic of one of my toddlers attempting a 4 piece puzzle when he was 2 years old! He had lots and lots of practice with peg puzzles and two piece puzzles, so he understood how puzzles worked, and enjoyed the challenge of four piece puzzles.

I would usually orientate the pieces for him before he started, and then he just pushed them together to make the picture.

toddler attempting a 4 piece puzzleToddler attempting a 4 piece puzzle

Many popular toddler puzzles come in a boxed set of mixed sizes containing a 4-piece, a 6-piece, and a 9 or 12-piece puzzle in the set.

However, mastering a single 4 piece puzzle does not mean your child will be ready to move on to the more complicated 6 and 12 piece puzzles in the same box - I personally find it is better for toddlers to try a few different 4 piece puzzles, before moving on to puzzles that are more challenging.

So look out for puzzle sets that have a few different four-piece puzzles in the box, or share a few puzzle sets with friends to give your child some variety.

Simple 4 piece puzzles:

Multiple sizes in one box:

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Benefits Of Puzzles For 1 Year Olds

There are lots of benefits to introducing your young child to simple puzzles: your child will get lots of practice developing essential visual perceptual skills, fine motor skills and visual motor skills.

These skills lay an important foundation for reading, writing and math when your child is older.

In addition, because puzzles can be done over and over again, your child will develop a sense of mastery and achievement in getting it right.

I have a whole page dedicated to showing parents how to help their toddlers to do puzzles, so do pop over and have a look if you need some tips and support to help your child get started.

how to teach your toddler to do puzzlesDoing puzzles with toddlers


Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you found what you were looking for!

Remember, although I have linked to these products on Amazon to show you what is out there, you will probably be able to find similar puzzles in your local toy store or even at a yard sale!

Have fun doing puzzles with your little one!

pin this page: what puzzles can a 1 year old and toddler do?

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