Saturday, September 18, 2010

Deluxe Wooden Barnyard Animals Jumbo Knob Puzzle by Melissa & Doug

This is another great introductory puzzle for older infants and toddlers (1 year+)! The easy grasp knobs, extra thick pieces, and brightly coloured pictures all combine to make this an appealing puzzle for young children. The children I have used the puzzle with love to take the pieces out and put them in trucks or incorporate them with other farm toys, which further increases the play value of the puzzle. Strengths: The pieces are very easy to manipulate and this reduces frustration on the part of the child when he/she is trying to manipulate the forms into the openings. I also like the matching element of the puzzle. Children who are first learning to do puzzles can match pictures as well as general shapes. The pieces are also just fun to bang together if that is what a child is interested in doing. Weaknesses: I have heard some people complain that the layers of wood on their puzzles have separated, posing all kinds of safety issues, but I've used mine for over a year with lots of different children and have never encountered this issue. Price: $8-$14. Where to Buy: Toys R Us, Amazon, speciality toy stores, or directly from the Melissa and Doug website (http://www.melissaanddoug.com/).

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