Animal Puzzle Reviews

We bought this for my 5 year old when she was 2 and she still loves this puzzle. All of her cousins do the puzzle when they come over and now her younger sister loves it too. It has held up well for all the use it has gotten!

We have 4 of these Lights, Camera... Interaction floor puzzles for our son. He started with them in the winter when outdoor activities are limited. He was about 1 year and 9 months then, and very quickly this became a favorite daily ritual. It built eye-hand coordination and dexterity, associative skills, naming skills, and of course self-confidence. After a few days he was able to do them by himself, always following a certain pattern (like starting with the tractor, its tires, then the sheep, etc). Soon he learned to identify edge and corner pieces. By having several puzzles, over time the lessons for puzzling became generalized. After the puzzle is complete, he does a "puzzle dance" to celebrate, stomping on the completed work of art! This is a wonderful indoor activity, assuming one has enough floor space or a very firm carpet to spread it out. Also makes a great gift. Melissa & Doug, who make the puzzles, should be thanked and congratulated on an affordable, durable starter puzzle.

My daughter (now 28 months) has loved this puzzle for over 1 year! She first loved seeing the excellent barn/farm animal picture come together like magic when she was young. Then she enjoyed putting the pieces we gave her in the spots we'd show her. Now she knows to look at the picture on the box for help, separate all the edge and middle pieces and can put it together pretty much on her own. (Although she loves an audience when putting puzzles together!) We now own six large floor puzzles, although this one is still the favorite. The alphabet train puzzle is a close second and is great for helping my daughter learn the alphabet visually in order. We sing the alphabet song from the beginning each time so she can figure out which letter piece comes next. These puzzles are really fun and are excellent quality. Also, this barn picture comes in a large knob wooden version as well, which my 8 month old son is beginning to enjoy! I highly recommend these puzzles for any child just under a year old and up to probably age 5 or 6. (The neighbor's kids play with them just as happily and they are 5 and 7.) I'm sure my daughter's love of puzzles began with this barn puzzle.

I bought this puzzle when my firstborn was one year old and he has loved playing with it as has his little brother. There is something very appealing (and wholesome) about kids loving farm animals...even those living in the suburbs with no farm in sight.

As with all the wooden peg puzzles from this manufacturer, the quality is high and they are very durable. The key to this brand, unlike others in same price range, is that the photo is idential underneath as on the piece itself. This is key for one year olds and even two year olds to master using the puzzle. I have seen both my kids struggle when 1 or 2 with different puzzles that are blank underneath or worse, show a different scene under the piece than on the piece.

I think it is wise to start off right at age one with the wooden peg puzzles as a plaything. My kids also play with the pieces separately from just making the puzzle. After they've mastered matching the piece and fitting it in, usually when they are around 2 they can do the different puzzles that don't have the image underneath.

Doing matching exercises and fitting these pieces into their proper places aids with hand eye coordination and thinking skills. Every child should have several of these puzzles of their own to play with.

The puzzle holder by this manufacturer is very useful to store the puzzles when they are not being played with and I highly recommend that as well.

This is a great gift for any holiday!

The smallest piece is about 1 1/2"x2 1/2". The pegs are not removable even by hands of adults. The company guaranteed non-toxic and child-safe(age 2-4) on the back of this toy.
The board and puzzle pieces are thick and very durable.
The pictures are colorful and cute. Children show an interest in the farm animals in their early age. I think you can teach these animals to babies and show them how to fit the piece in the spot even they can't do it themselves. My son is 24 month old, and it's too easy for him. He still play but just to show me he can do it. I recommend to children, age 12 month and maybe younger with parent's supervision to prevent from choking just in case. The younger children will need your help to play with this toy anyway.... You might be able to find a bargain.

I got this puzzle for my girl's first birthday. She loves it. It is a very high quality toy that should last forever. The animals pictures are very colorful and well painted. She still chews on everything, but has not been able to damage this puzzle in any way. The pegs really help her pick up the peices and set them down (not in the right place yet), and the pegs are not removeable like I was worried about, but are buried deep in the wood and are very safe. I highly recommend this puzzle for all children over a year old.

These are just great. Four 12-piece puzzles made out of very durable materials (see Pros below). The sturdy wooden box has four compartments under a sliding lid. Each of the four puzzles are theme related. These four are Kitten, Puppy, Bunny, and Pony (there are two different sets with the same animals but different pictures).

Pros:
Easy but not too-easy puzzles.
Pieces fit well together.
Nice pictures.
Sturdy container.
Each puzzle has a different shape printed on the back to make sorting the puzzles easier.
Super durable. I did not realize just how durable they were until I found a piece in my dishwasher. Even after being washed the picture was fine and the wood in perfect condition.

Cons:
It may take a few moments to figure out how to fit an entire puzzle's pieces in a single compartment.
Lid does not lock closed.

My kids love these and you will too.

This is a great educational game! The first couple times my 5 yr-old grandaughter and I played, we used the directions for 4-6 yr olds, where you name an animal whose name begins with a, then b, etc, as you advance around the playing board. Soon she was playing at the more advanced, challenging level, where you must name an animal that starts with a and flies, or starts with a and swims, etc. It's great fun for her when grandma can't think of an answer, and she can!! My grandaughter has become so interested in animals, I bought her an encylopedia all about animals, that we use when playing the game. I would recommend this game for anyone who cares about animals.

I bought this puzzle for my kids, after buying the Secret World Puzzle Ocean version. This is a great series! First, you build the puzzle and then you search for the tiny objects hidden in the picture with the cute, little magnifying glass that comes with it. It is a lot of fun and a great idea.
I must for your kids, especially on rainy days!

I bought this puzzle for my nephews and they simply love it each time they visit me they play with this one puzzle all the time . It is not the pet puzzle it is the one with dinosaurs by Melissa & Doug. It is fantastic the way it holds there interest.

Thankyou
Tammy

My daughter loves this puzzle, and she is picky about toys and puzzles. The wooden frame is very helpful and the pieces are sturdy and fit together nicely. I bought it for her when she was nearly three.

First of all I am a huge fan of Melissa & Doug BUT this wooden interlocking puzzle has a definite design flaw. The pieces fit very tightly and as the child tries to take them apart the little knobby pieces break off. Within a couple days several pieces had broken which really takes away from the completed picture and makes the puzzle even more difficult. Since most people would buy this puzzle thinking it would be MORE durable being made out of wood I think they would be disappointed for the price.

My son received this for his 1st birthday and loves it. It has been a great teaching tool too. I ask him where is the duck and he picks up the duck piece, he is even getting pretty good at putting the pieces back in place - in only a month.

Lights, Camera, Interaction! makes beautiful products and this puzzle is no exception. The wood makes it durable and attractive, the pictures under the pieces make it appropriate for babies as young as 12 months, and the knobs are easy for small hands to manage. The pieces are cut to fit perfectly, so that they slide into place easily once the child has aligned it correctly.

My 12 month old baby is beginning to enjoy this, and my three year old still plays with it too. I can't recommend the toys and puzzles made by this company, also known as Melissa and Doug, highly enough. They are all excellent quality and provide fun learning opportunities for kids.

My 20 month old is so proud of herself as she puts the pieces in the correct place, and it helps her practice all the names and sounds as well. Very good quality. Highly recommended.

I got this for my 2 year old niece for her birthday. Both she and her older 4 year old sister absolutely loved it. I should have purchased 2, one for each of them. This is a simple but great toy!

This was the first puzzle I ever put down in front of my son (he was under 2 at the time) and almost 4 years later he still loves it. In fact all of his friends do. It's really lasted. It's also a fun way to teach the names of various sea creatures. The pole part of the fishing pole got lost, so now we just use the string with the magnet. This puzzle is worth the money.

OH what a terrific idea! This is by far the best puzzle I've ever seen! It comes with a fishing rod to take the fish out of the puzzle and return them to their proper positions. It teaches great manual dexterity and shapes. It's just so much fun and keeps our toddler busy for quite some time. What a great purchase!

My daughter got a few of these Melissa & Doug peg puzzles for Christmas, she is now 16 months old and has mastered all of them by now so I keep buying new ones, I love that she loves to sit down and do them, It is so wonderful to sit and help her and watch her learn! I think these are wonderful! She gets so excited to play with her puzzles!

My son received this as a gift (via Amazon). He loves it. The colors are bright, the pictures are clear and the puzzle is very durable.

Like all puzzles, once children have mastered them, they're ready to move to other toys. However, I recommend this for 2 year olds. The parent can play along and use it to build vocabulary (where is the dog? what sound does the dog make? let's put the dog puzzle piece in . . .).

Here is the thing about puzzles: Puzzles develop eye and hand coordination. Also, little children do not memorize a puzzle, do it one time and that is it. Little children will do a puzzle over and over again. Ask any teacher who teaches younger grades. Puzzles are great.

Personally, I look for toys that are fairly quiet, easy and fun. If they are educational that is good too. I prefer toys that will grow with a child, foster independence and creativity. Puzzles are great!

These puzzles with knobs are excellent for clumsy little fingers to play with. The little knobs make it easier for the child to get the pieces in the spot.

I particularly like the bright pictures with the matching picture in the hole. After the child outgrows these, you can buy the puzzles that are not individual pictures (but rather each piece is part of a whole!) You can graduate to more pieces in a puzzle and few visual clues. So, this puzzle is a great introduction to other puzzles as well.

Another way to make this more challenging is you can mix up several puzzles and let your child work on three or four at once.

Wonderful. This is one toy I'm glad we have in our house!

I have not been dissappointed with ANY of Melissa & Doug puzzle...we have 7 now. This is the first for our youngest and I look forward to playing with the fuzzy farm pieces with him. A durable, safe edged puzzle that is colorful but not scary for little ones. My hat is off to Melissa & Doug once again.

Our son received this as a gift for Easter this past year. He isn't much on puzzles but this one really caught on. He likes the fuzzy animals I think the best, but he has become quite good at putting them in their proper places. It's also been a good tool to teach him the animals and to *nicely* pet the animals. His favorite is the little duck as it ends up in is crib quite often. Very cute puzzle with the extra added bonus of the peices being soft. Puzzle and pieces are made of wood (except the fuzzy coats) so it holds up well and the price is reasonable.

I got this for my daughter just before her first birthday, and she loved it--I think probably because the fuzzy pieces are as much like toys as anything else. They are among the first farm animals that children learn the names of, and she enjoyed repeating their names and making their sounds. The other puzzles she got were just puzzles, but it was as though this one had a personality that made it a toy as well. I don't think it's a good puzzle for an older toddler, but at one year most children's "shape-fitting" skills are pretty limited. I think a puzzle with a few, simple pieces that can double as toys is a great first puzzle for the 12-month old set.